The war in the Middle East must not get in the way of negotiations to end the conflict in Ukraine, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told President Volodymyr Zelensky in a call Tuesday."The conflict in Iran must not obstruct the peace efforts for Ukraine," the Turkish leader said, according to a statement from his office.
"It would be beneficial to continue the negotiations without delay and to staunch Ukraine's wounds," Erdogan was quoted as saying.
Zelensky, on X, said that in the call Erdogan offered to have Turkey "host the next round of talks in a trilateral format", with Ukrainian, Russian and US delegations.
"We appreciate this initiative and hope it can produce results," the Ukrainian leader said.
According to the Turkish presidency, Erdogan spoke about the need for the conflict to recede from the Black Sea, the body of water shared by Ukraine, Russia and Turkey, the entrance to which is the Bosphorus Strait, which runs through Istanbul.
Russia and Ukraine have each attacked commercial ships carrying cargo for the other side in the Black Sea.
"Navigation safety in the Black Sea is of utmost importance to Turkey. A ceasefire protecting energy and port infrastructure can contribute to establishing trust between the parties, and Turkey will bring all its support to that," Erdogan was quoted as saying.
The United States has proposed another round of Russia-Ukraine talks next week, mediated by Washington, on ending four years of war, Zelensky told journalists on Tuesday, adding that it could take place in Switzerland or Turkey.
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