Erdogan: Turkey will continue efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war and plans talks with Putin

Statement on Ukraine

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Ankara will continue its efforts to end the war between Russia and Ukraine and intends to hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. “As Turkey, we are doing everything possible to pave the way to peace, and we will keep doing so. After our meeting with Ukrainian President Zelensky, we now want to discuss the Russian side of the issue by holding talks with President Putin,” he told journalists aboard the plane on his return flight from South Korea, Anadolu reports.

Context of the Zelensky meeting and preparations for talks

Erdogan recalled Volodymyr Zelensky's visit to Turkey on Saturday, when the parties discussed the importance of diplomatic efforts to end the war; at that meeting, according to the Turkish leader, he emphasized the significance of diplomatic initiatives through negotiations. He added that Turkish officials, first of all Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, will continue discussions with their Russian counterparts to prepare for possible talks. Thus, the stated sequence of actions looks as follows: the contact with the Ukrainian side has already taken place, and the next step is reaching out to the Russian side.

Defense cooperation with South Korea

At the same briefing, Erdogan commented on defense cooperation with South Korea, noting that it goes beyond individual weapons systems and covers a wide range of technologies: the Altay tank, Firtina howitzers, unmanned aerial vehicles, attack drones, air defense systems and naval technologies, including submarines. Asked about a possible agreement on UAVs and attack drones, he pointed to the broad range of ongoing negotiations without confirming a specific deal. On Tuesday in Seoul, Erdogan was received by President Lee Jae-myung; Turkey and South Korea signed four memorandums of understanding — on science, technology and innovation, natural resources and mining, energy, and financing of nuclear projects.

Relations with Azerbaijan and other topics

Touching on relations with Azerbaijan, Erdogan rejected suggestions of a crisis between the two countries, describing their bond as a product of shared history, culture and destiny. He said he plans to visit Azerbaijan on November 8 to take part in Victory Day celebrations — “barring unforeseen circumstances” — and that he has already held telephone talks with President Ilham Aliyev, as well as sent the head of intelligence and the foreign minister to Azerbaijan. On the US midterm elections, Erdogan said it is too early to draw firm conclusions about their impact on Turkish-American relations and Washington's Middle East policy, emphasizing the “deep roots” of the relationship in strategic partnership and both countries' NATO membership. On the “Turkey without terrorism” process, he stated that the work is proceeding within a legal framework and stressed the need to complete full disarmament and verification before moving to the next stage.