Meeting Putin and Erdogan, possible proposal for peace negotiations

Russian President Putin and Turkish President Erdogan meet today in Kazakhstan. Several leaders of Asian countries meet in a conference. The presidents are probably talking about a Turkish proposal for mediation in the war.

Earlier this week, Russian and Turkish defense ministers met. The two agreed that there should be a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine. This week, Russia the air strikes again in several Ukrainian cities. The capital Kiev was attacked for the first time since June, causing casualties.

President Putin arrived in the capital Astana:

Peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine have been stalled for months. Shortly after the raid, the Ukrainian and Russian delegations met several times. The latest round of negotiations took place in Turkey at the end of March. There has been no breakthrough.

Erdogan has risen since the beginning of the war as a mediator in the conflict. Turkey supports Ukraine while maintaining good relations with Russia, unlike other NATO countries. For example, the country has not announced sanctions against Russia, but Erdogan has condemned the annexation of the Ukrainian territories.

In addition to the peace negotiations, Turkey has played an important role the grain business in the month of July. As a result, Ukrainian grain exports from Black Sea ports could be resumed. Turkey also played a role in a recent prisoner exchange between the two countries.

The question is whether Ukraine will accept the negotiations. Zelensky told the leaders of the G7 countries this week that there is nothing to negotiate with Putin. Ahead of Russia’s annexation of the Ukrainian territories, the president said that negotiations after the annexation are no longer an option.

Through fake referendum Putin added four Ukrainian regions in the east of the country to Russia two weeks ago. This “illegal attempted annexation” was discussed yesterday at the UN General Assembly by a broad … majority condemned.

Of the 193 members of the General Assembly, 143 countries voted in favor of the resolution. It also reaffirmed the sovereignty, independence and unity of Ukraine within internationally recognized borders. Zelensky thanked the countries for their support. Only a handful of countries continued to support Putin, such as Belarus, Nicaragua and North Korea.