Turkish President, Recep Erdogan, called on Wednesday for the resumption of negotiations in Istanbul between Russia and Ukraine to end a war with “devastating” consequences. Volodymyr Zelensky, whom he met in Ankara, expressed hope for the resumption of prisoner-of-war exchanges with Russia by the end of the year, reports France Presse and EFE, according to Agerpres. Zelensky separately stated that “it is time for the war to end”.
The Russian and Ukrainian delegations have already met three times this year, in May, June, and July, in Istanbul.
“At a time when the destructive effects of the war are worsening for both parties, we consider the Istanbul negotiations to be an important initiative towards a diplomatic solution,” Erdogan stated.
“Of course, we discussed the diplomatic situation and now many processes have been activated. We strive for all activity to be oriented towards a dignified peace, with guaranteed security. The war must end. There is no alternative to peace. Russia must understand that there is no benefit of war, of killing, and there is no way for Russia to be given the chance to start another similar war against Ukraine”
Erdogan mentioned “in particular, the increase in the number of attacks against energy infrastructures and the resulting loss of human lives, as well as irreparable damage to both parties”.
Volodymyr Zelensky, in turn, expressed hope for the resumption of prisoner-of-war exchanges with Russia “by the end of the year”.
“We hope to resume exchanges by the end of the year, to bring home a significant number of prisoners. Turkey is helping us a lot in this endeavor,” the Ukrainian president stated.
In previous meetings between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Istanbul, under the auspices of the Turkish foreign minister, Hakan Fidan, the two parties had agreed on prisoner-of-war exchanges.