Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan revealed that US President Donald Trump expressed willingness to participate in high-level peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia, contingent on Vladimir Putin’s attendance.

Speaking to journalists during his return flight from the NATO summit in The Hague, Erdogan provided direct quotes from his conversation with Trump, the Turkish CNN service reports.

“He [Trump] said: ‘If Russian leader Vladimir Putin comes to Istanbul or Ankara to solve the problem, I will come to Istanbul or Ankara.’ We will hold the necessary meetings and, hopefully, meet as soon as possible,” Erdogan shared.

The Turkish president also emphasized his country’s unwavering commitment to ending the war, stating:

“We say with absolute determination that ‘This war must end.’ The region can no longer bear this.”

The Turkish leader described the previous Istanbul discussions as having “opened the door to peace” and committed to continued mediation efforts.

“Our ultimate goal is to hold a meeting at the leaders’ level in our country and build the desired peace,” he stated.

Erdogan described productive discussions with the US president covering bilateral relations, NATO partnership, and regional issues.

“We will work to bring the parties together again,” Erdogan pledged. “Even if it requires digging a well with a needle for a solution, we will do it.”

During the June negotiations in Istanbul, Ukraine and Russia exchanged position papers outlining their respective visions for ending the war.

Russian demands include: 

• Ukrainian military withdrawal from four occupied regions (some parts of which are not even occupied fully) – Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia oblasts.
• written guarantees from Western leaders to halt “NATO’s eastward expansion”, effectively excluding Ukraine, Georgia, and other former Soviet states from membership
• Ukraine adopting a neutral status and limitations on Ukraine’s armed forces.
• partial lifting of Western sanctions
• resolution of frozen Russian assets abroad
• protections for Russian speakers in Ukraine
• holding of Ukrainian elections under terms favorable to Moscow.

Ukraine rejected these demands, insisting on its sovereign right to choose alliances and strong Western security guarantees.

In contrast, Ukraine presented its own ceasefire proposals, including: 

• complete cessation of hostilities 
• return of deported children and prisoner exchanges
• security assurances
• rejection of any forced neutrality or restrictions on its military capabilities and alliances, including NATO membership
• direct talks between Zelenskyy and Putin
• maintaining Ukrainian sovereignty.