Erdogan Putin talks planned after Zelenskyy meeting in Istanbul

Erdogan Putin talks are now on the Turkish president’s agenda after he met Zelenskyy in Istanbul, as Ankara keeps pushing to end the war in Ukraine.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday that he wants to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin. He spoke to reporters on his flight back from South Korea.

What Erdogan said about the Erdogan Putin talks

He said his foreign minister and relevant officials are in contact with both sides about a possible Russia-Ukraine meeting in Turkey. His office shared a transcript of the remarks.

Ankara will keep working for peace between the two countries, Erdogan said. After meeting Zelenskyy, he added, Türkiye now wants to “address the Russian side of the matter”.

No date or venue has emerged for the Erdogan Putin talks. Also, Moscow has not yet commented on the plan.

The Istanbul meeting behind the Erdogan Putin talks

Erdogan and Zelenskyy met on Saturday, October 31, at the Dolmabahçe Presidential Office in Istanbul. They discussed the possibility of new negotiations in November, along with Black Sea security.

Zelenskyy said Ukraine is preparing for a three-way format with the United States and Russia in the first half of the month. He added that Erdogan wanted to host leader-level talks and intended to raise the idea with Trump and Putin directly.

Kyiv backs a leaders’ meeting in Turkey. However, technical teams are expected to meet in Abu Dhabi, possibly between November 6 and 10. Nobody has fixed a venue or date.

Black Sea security and trade

Erdogan condemned attacks on civilian vessels in the Black Sea. He said Ankara cannot accept them, whoever carries them out and whatever the reason.

The two leaders also want to restore a working grain corridor, as Türkiye helped do in 2022. Ankara believes a limited sea arrangement could help set up wider peace talks.

They also covered defence, industry and energy. Turkish generators and other energy equipment will reach Ukraine in larger numbers in the coming weeks, the Ukrainian delegation said.

The free trade agreement signed in 2022 took effect on October 1. Erdogan said both sides moved a step closer to their goal of $10 billion in trade.

Azerbaijan, the US midterms and domestic peace

On the flight, Erdogan also said he plans to visit Azerbaijan on November 8 for Victory Day. He called ties with that country an “unbreakable bond rooted in their common history and destiny”.

He said he had already spoken by phone with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. His intelligence chief and foreign minister also travelled to Azerbaijan on his behalf.

On the US midterm results, Erdogan said Ankara will keep “close dialogue” with the administration, the House of Representatives and the Senate. It is too early, he said, to draw firm conclusions on the effect for Türkiye-US relations and the Middle East.

He also said the Terror-Free Türkiye process moves ahead within the legal framework. Full disarmament and verification must finish before the next stage, he added.

For now, the Erdogan Putin talks remain a plan, and Ankara continues to position itself as a go-between.