Putin tells Erdogan Ukraine must accept territorial losses for dialogue to occur
Mike Brest
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Russian President Vladimir Putin stated to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that Kyiv would have to accept territorial concessions before the two countries could engage in diplomatic talks.
Erdogan has acted as a mediator between the Ukrainian and Russian governments at various points during the 10-month war, and he had a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as well on Thursday, the same day he spoke with Putin.
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“Vladimir Putin reaffirmed Russia’s openness to a serious dialogue, provided that the Kiev authorities fulfill the well–known and repeatedly voiced requirements and take into account the new territorial realities,” Russia’s government said in a readout of the Thursday call.
Ukraine’s president said he “discussed security cooperation” with Erdogan, as well as “nuclear safety issues, in particular the situation at ZNPP (Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station),” while Erdogan said he told the Ukrainian leader that Ankara was ready to mediate discussions for lasting peace between Russia and Ukraine, a Turkish government readout of the call indicated.
The Ukrainian government has repeatedly said it was not interested in conceding territory, and Western leaders have supported them in that stance.
Back in September, Russian authorities held four referendums in Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson that supposedly showed that an overwhelming number of residents supported joining the Russian Federation, though Western leaders universally denounced the processes as illegitimate. Russia has also occupied Crimea since 2014.
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“There should be no invaders there. We also talked about the exchange of prisoners of war with Turkish mediation, the development of the grain agreement. We appreciate Turkey’s willingness to take part in the implementation of our Peace Formula,” Zelensky said on Telegram following the call.
Putin also accused the West of playing a “destructive role” in the war by “pumping Ukraine with weapons and providing it with target designation,” the Kremlin said.