It was reassuring to see the Ukrainian President in Türkiye, visiting the Turkish President. Türkiye has stood with open arms and stated that they will host and mediate in the war between Russia and Ukraine. The time has come for Western leaders, along with Ukraine, to invite Russia to peace negotiations in Türkiye.
The meeting took place in Türkiye’s capital, Ankara, where the agenda included discussions on security guarantees for Ukraine, the release of prisoners, and food security. Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
The Ukrainian President said, among other things: “Ukraine greatly values our relationship with you, the mutual understanding we share, and the support we receive during this extraordinary wartime. Türkiye has always maintained a principled stance on our state’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and we believe this is of global significance,” said Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
“Ukraine and Europe—in a broad sense, including the European Union, Türkiye, and the United Kingdom—must be involved in the discussions and development of necessary security guarantees along with the United States, as these decisions shape the future of our part of the world,” emphasized President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The Ukrainian President also thanked Türkiye for mediating the release of Ukrainian prisoners from Russian prisons. The state’s priority is to bring all Ukrainians home. Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan also discussed further assistance from Türkiye.
Other important topics included the development of bilateral relations, economic and agricultural issues, and cooperation between communities.
According to the Ukrainian leader, the level of cooperation between Ukraine and Türkiye is constantly growing. Today, two documents were signed in the presence of the presidents: a Memorandum on Cooperation in Media and Communication and an Agreement on Cooperation in Education.
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan emphasized that Türkiye supports Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. “We will provide any support to conclude the negotiations with the establishment of a lasting peace,” added Türkiye’s president.
He also noted that Turkish companies are interested in helping to rebuild Ukraine.
The negotiations between the leaders were held in a spirit consistent with the strategic partnership between Ukraine and Türkiye.
The Time Is Right for Peace Negotiations in Istanbul or Ankara
European leaders and Ukraine’s allies must understand that the USA, on one hand, wants to conduct negotiations almost alone, and on the other hand, wants greater involvement from its European allies to handle general security and defense in the area and in relation to Ukraine. Here, the USA desires a much stronger involvement from Europe, and yesterday I read in the Danish newspaper b.dk that intelligence indicated that the USA wanted to withdraw its troops from the countries bordering Russia.
For Europe, this is a significant day and can contribute to de-escalating the current conflict. As the American president has said, there is a beautiful ocean between us. It is understandable that a debt-laden USA, which has defended us from 1941 to the present day, wants to scale back its military activity in Europe.
European leaders cannot stand and beg for more support and help from the USA in NATO when they want us to be a more active partner and bear a larger share of the burden. It is necessary to invest more in military equipment, anti-aircraft defenses, drones, ammunition, etc.
If one believes there is an increased threat from Russia, it is also necessary to expand the home guard and civil defense. It is also necessary to get more conscripts and upgrade the defense with soldiers who have both the ability and the will to fight. It must be obvious to everyone that there is much talk and little action. But as the well-known Danish top diplomat said, he does not see Russia planning to attack a NATO country.
Therefore, I have also advocated for both the EU and individual countries’ foreign services to intensify their intelligence gathering to get an accurate picture of the world.
But when we talk about diplomacy and defense, Trump is also right that we must normalize relations with Russia and the Russian people after a peace agreement is concluded. This seems very difficult for many European leaders to come to terms with.
The administration of the American president is also right that we cannot continue to accept people into the country who do not want to integrate and contribute to everyone’s best. Enormous sums are spent on transfer incomes and other support for these people, many of whom have neither the ability nor the will to participate in the labor market or society as a whole. But on the whole, this creates instability and a lost cohesion force in the nation-states.
European leaders cannot accept being insulted by the American administration while simultaneously begging for the USA to continue defending us and bear a large portion of the expenses. This does not add up. The atrocities they have committed against the Ukrainian president, who is fighting a great battle for his people, cannot go unanswered.
It also seems that the USA has a much more pragmatic approach to the war and Ukraine, and that there are far fewer emotions involved. In contrast, we in Europe feel it in our deepest souls and sympathize with the Ukrainian people and their suffering.
It is pointless to stand and beg the USA to allow us to participate in peace negotiations, which would expose our weakness and show our subservience to the USA. We must find our national pride and cooperate better in all areas. And as you ponder this, do we need the USA more, or does the USA need us more as allies and trading partners? What happens if the EU establishes its own system for money transfers and its own currency? In Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus alone, there are close to 200 million people with whom we can significantly increase trade.
When it comes to peace negotiations, the USA’s policy leads to us having to establish a format that can handle upcoming peace negotiations, where the USA is, of course, an important player, as they remain an essential support for Ukrainian society and a significant NATO partner. Several American politicians have also clearly expressed their support for the Ukrainian president and the Ukrainian people.
The time has come for peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, where the countries bordering Russia have their rightful place at the negotiating table. It is evident that a format of 16 countries, along with Russia and Ukraine, should participate in these negotiations in Istanbul or Ankara. And as highlighted in this article, Türkiye wants to host and participate as peace mediators along with other countries. Here on this page, you can find both drafts for upcoming peace negotiations, including a strategy for a new European security order, drafts for several points in a peace agreement, and plans for future trade and interaction in all areas when there is peace in Europe again.
The Ukrainian president has told the American president that he also wants sustainable cooperation in the future, where the USA gets to extract rare earth elements while providing Ukraine with security guarantees. A solution must be found for rebuilding the country, future trade in Europe, including normal trade relations with both Russia and the USA.
The major countries in Europe: Germany, France, the UK, Poland, along with all the other countries that support Ukraine, can play a significant role in the peace negotiations along with the USA and China. However, it is perplexing that we, who are closest to the conflict, cannot establish a format capable of mediating the conflict.
