Turkey on Friday proposed to host a meeting between the American, Russian and Ukrainian presidents in an effort to advance toward an end of the three years of war in Ukraine.
NATO member Turkey, which has strove to maintain relations with both Kyiv and Moscow, has become a key mediator amid US President Donald Trump's push for a deal to end the fighting.
"We sincerely think that it is possible to cap the first and second direct Istanbul talks with a meeting between Mr. Trump, Mr. (Vladimir) Putin and M. (Volodymyr) Zelensky, under the direction of Mr. (Recep Tayyip Erdogan)," Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said while on a visit to Kyiv.
"We can either close our eyes to the continuation of this war, or to reach a durable peace before the end of the year," Fidan said. "Expectations for a ceasefire and peace have increased."
"Progress can certainly be made as long as we remain at the negotiating table," added Fidan, who was to meet with Zelensky in Kyiv later in the day.
Earlier this week he held talks with senior officials in Moscow.
Turkey's foreign minister had said earlier in the day that both Russia and Ukraine wanted a ceasefire, as he visited Kyiv ahead of a potential second round of direct negotiations between the sides next week in Istanbul.
NATO member Turkey, which has striven to maintain relations with both Kyiv and Moscow, has become a key mediator amid US President Donald Trump's push for a deal to end the over three-year war.
Kyiv was yet to confirm whether it would send a delegation to the talks, which Russia proposed to hold on Monday.
Ukraine first wants Russia to share its vision of a roadmap to peace -- a so-called "memorandum" that Moscow said it will only hand over to the Ukrainian delegation in person at the next talks.
"I observe that the issue is beginning to take a more optimistic turn as negotiations start. Both parties want a ceasefire. No one says they don't want it," Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on the train taking him to Kyiv, according to news agency Anadolu.
Arriving in Kyiv on Friday, he met Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga and visited a memorial for killed soldiers.
Ukraine has for more than two months been calling for Russia to agree to a full, unconditional and immediate 30-day ceasefire -- an idea first proposed by Trump.
Putin has repeatedly rejected those calls, despite pressure from Washington and Europe, while the Russian army has intensified its advances in eastern Ukraine.
He has said that a ceasefire is possible as a result of negotiations, but that talks should focus on the "root causes" of the war.
Moscow typically uses that language to refer to a mix of sweeping demands that have at times included limiting Ukraine's military, banning it from joining NATO, massive territorial concessions and the toppling of Zelensky.
US threat to step back
Kyiv and the West have rejected those calls and cast Russia's assault as nothing but an imperial-style land grab.
Russia's invasion in February 2022 triggered the biggest European conflict since World War II.
Tens of thousands have been killed, swathes of eastern and southern Ukraine destroyed and millions forced to flee their homes.
Trump has been growing increasingly frustrated at both Zelensky and Putin for not having struck a deal yet.
At a UN Security Council meeting Thursday a US diplomat reaffirmed that Washington could pull back from peace efforts.
"If Russia makes the wrong decision to continue this catastrophic war, the United States will have to consider stepping back from our negotiation efforts to end this conflict," John Kelley told the meeting, which included Russian and Ukrainian envoys.
Despite the sides having held their first peace talks in more than three years, there has been little sign of movement towards a possible compromise agreement.
At negotiations in Istanbul on May 16, Ukraine said Russia threatened to accelerate its ground offensive into new regions and made a host of hardline demands, including that Kyiv cede territory still under its control.
Kyiv wants to first agree to halt the fighting to allow for discussions on a long-term settlement.
Along with its European allies, Ukraine has also been ramping up pressure on Trump to hit Moscow with fresh sanctions -- a step he has so far not taken.
French President Emmanuel Macron said Friday that if Russia gives "confirmation that it is not ready to make peace" Washington must then confirm its "commitment" to impose sanctions on Moscow, stressing it was a "credibility test for the Americans".
"I spoke 48 hours ago to President Trump who showed his impatience. The question now is what do we do? We (Europeans) are ready," Macron said during a visit to Singapore.
On the battlefield, both sides launched dozens of drones at each other in the latest overnight barrage and Russia has this week claimed to have captured a string of Ukrainian settlements.
By Sergii VOLSKYI and Victoria LUKOVENKO / AFP
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