Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Putin willing to end war, says Turkey's Erdogan

Putin willing to end war, says Turkey's Erdogan

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said he believes Russia's leader is seeking an end to the war he began in Ukraine, and that a "significant step" will be made.
He said his impression from recent talks with Vladimir Putin was that he wanted to "end this as soon as possible".

Ukraine has recaptured swathes of its territory this month.

The Turkish leader indicated things were "quite problematic" for Russia.

Erdogan spoke of having "very extensive discussions" with Putin at a summit in Uzbekistan last week.

In an interview with US broadcaster PBS, the Turkish leader said he gained the impression that the Russian president wanted a speedy end to the war.

"He is actually showing me that he's willing to end this as soon as possible," Erdogan said. "That was my impression, because the way things are going right now are quite problematic."

He also said 200 "hostages" would soon be exchanged between the two sides. He gave no further detail of who would be included in such a prisoner swap.

Erdogan has repeatedly sought to mediate during the war, promoting a "balanced" stance for Nato member Turkey, while opposing Western sanctions on Russia.

He helped the UN mediate a resumption of grain exports from Ukraine and said last week he was trying to organize direct ceasefire talks.

Meanwhile, two months after Russian forces seized control over the entire eastern region of Luhansk, Ukraine has reclaimed part of the territory.

Luhansk's Ukrainian leader Serhiy Haidai said Russian forces had retreated from the village of Bilohorivka - but were doing all they could to dig in elsewhere.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said "the occupiers are clearly in a panic".

Earlier this month, Erdogan accused the West of adopting a policy of "provocation" toward Russia and warned that the war was unlikely to end "any time soon".

Last week the Russian leader said he was open to meeting the Ukrainian president, but that Zelensky was not. He told India's prime minister he wanted to end the fighting "as soon as possible".

However, Russia has not given any indication that it is prepared to accept Kyiv's demands for a full withdrawal from Ukrainian territory, including areas seized in 2014.

Crimea was annexed by Russia at the time, and now ex-President Dmitry Medvedev has said that Russian-backed separatists should hold "referendums" on annexing the territories of Luhansk and Donetsk - which are known as Donbas.

President Putin has repeatedly identified "liberation" of Ukraine's Donbas region as Russia's main goal. "Referendums in Donbas are essential," said Medvedev, who is now deputy head of Russia's security council.

Local Russian-backed leaders in Luhansk and Donetsk have also called for urgent referendums, and Ukrainian defense ministry adviser Oleksiy Koptyko suggested they were a "sign of hysteria" in Moscow, as well as an attempt to spur Putin into action.

As well as recapturing much of the Kharkiv region in the north-east, Ukrainian forces have launched a counter-offensive in the southern region of Kherson, forcing its Russian-installed leader to delay a referendum on joining Russia.

Asked by PBS whether Russia should be allowed to keep any territory it had taken since February, and whether that should be part of a peace deal, Mr Erdogan said: "No, and undoubtedly no."

He also said that "lands which were invaded will be returned to Ukraine". It was not clear whether he also included territory held by Russian-backed separatists since 2014.

Asked whether Russia should be allowed to keep Crimea — which it annexed in 2014 — Erdogan said that since then, Turkey had been talking to Putin about returning the peninsula "to its rightful owners" but that no progress had been made.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
Intel Reports Revenue Beats but Sees 81% Rise in Losses
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
Tulsi Gabbard Unveils Evidence Alleging Political Manipulation of Intelligence During Trump Administration
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Trump Announces Coca-Cola to Shift to Cane Sugar in U.S. Production
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
Moonshot AI Unveils Kimi K2: A New Open-Source AI Model
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
×