ANKARA: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday reiterated his willingness to host a meeting between the American, Russian and Ukrainian leaders in an effort to end the war in Ukraine.
“My greatest wish for both sides is to bring both (Russia’s) Vladimir Putin and (Ukraine’s Volodymyr) Zelensky together in Istanbul or Ankara, and even to bring (US President) Mr. (Donald) Trump to their side, if they accept,” he said.
Turkiye, he said, would “take steps” to facilitate such a meeting, following direct talks between the two sides in Istanbul on Monday.
Erdogan said it was a big achievement that Monday’s talks even took place.
Ukraine carried out one of its most brazen and successful attacks ever on Russian soil on the weekend, its drones ambushing dozens of strategic bombers at bases deep inside Russia.
“It is a success in itself that the meeting happened despite what happened yesterday,” he said, hailing the talks as “magnificent.”
At Monday’s meeting, which lasted just over an hour, Ukraine and Russia agreed to exchange severely injured prisoners of war as well as those under 25, alongside the remains of 6,000 troops killed in combat, Kyiv said.
“These figures given by both Russia and Ukraine... (are) very, very important in terms of showing how important these Istanbul meetings are. And we are proud of this,” Erdogan added.
Erdogan proposes new Putin-Zelensky-Trump meeting in Turkiye
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Erdogan proposes new Putin-Zelensky-Trump meeting in Turkiye
- Ukraine and Russia agreed on Monday to exchange severely injured prisoners of war as well as those under 25
Hungary presses Russia not to hike energy prices amid Iran turmoil
- Energy prices have surged since the United States and Israel attacked Iran on Saturday
- Hungary is the European Union’s biggest importer of Russian fossil fuels
MOSCOW: Hungary wants guarantees from Russia that it will not charge Budapest more for oil and gas, despite global prices jumping due to conflict in the Middle East, Hungary’s foreign minister said Wednesday.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto was in Moscow to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin later Wednesday to press the request.
Energy prices have surged since the United States and Israel attacked Iran on Saturday, including the benchmark price of Russian crude.
Hungary is the European Union’s biggest importer of Russian fossil fuels, having maintained purchases and secured exemptions from sanctions despite pressure from Brussels amid the Russian offensive on Ukraine.
Budapest was already facing disruption from the closure of the Druzhba pipeline, which transports Russian oil to Hungary and which Ukraine says was damaged in a Russian strike.
Szijjarto said he would be seeking assurances that “the crude oil and natural gas necessary for Hungary’s energy supply will continue to be available to us.
“I am also here to obtain guarantees that, despite the changed circumstances and the global energy crisis, Russia will continue to deliver the necessary quantities of oil and gas for Hungary at unchanged prices,” he added.
Budapest relies on Russian oil and is currently in a standoff with Kyiv over a halt to supplies via the Soviet-era Druzhba pipeline, which runs through Ukraine.
Ukraine says Russia attacked the pipeline in January and that the threat of another strike was holding up repairs.
Hungary and Slovakia — which also buys Russian crude — accuse Kyiv of delaying the repairs in an attempt to put pressure on them and choke them of Russian energy.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said buyers of Russian oil were “facing blackmail” and accused Kyiv of “the deliberate blocking of deliveries through the Druzhba pipeline.”
