Russian President Vladimir Putin said the agreement drawn up in Istanbul in March 2022 could serve as the basis for future negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.
An agreement was prepared between Russian and Ukrainian delegations during negotiations held in Istanbul in March 2022, but peace efforts failed.
“Boris Johnson broke the deal”
At the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit where he met with Erdogan yesterday, Putin said that within the scope of the Istanbul agreement, Ukraine agreed to reduce its military forces in exchange for certain security guarantees at the time. The Russian leader noted, however, that then-British Prime Minister Boris Johnson had blocked the talks and encouraged Kiev to continue the war.
Putin said the door to peace talks with Ukraine was not closed, saying: “The Istanbul agreements are not lost. The heads of the Ukrainian negotiating team at the time approved the agreements, and apparently they were very happy with these agreements.”
Putin thanked Erdogan for his support in reaching the agreement and said “these agreements will remain on the agenda and can serve as a basis if negotiations continue.”
Regarding peace talks with Ukraine in the first months of the war, Putin had previously said: “Ukraine gave up on negotiations, but everything was agreed in Istanbul.”
Rejection of President Erdogan’s offer to mediate
In a statement, the presidency said Erdogan met with Putin yesterday and conveyed to him that a peace settlement between Russia and Ukraine acceptable to both sides is possible and that mediation is also possible.
Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded to a question from reporters about whether Erdogan would act as a mediator between Russia and Ukraine by saying: “No, that’s not possible.”
Turkey mediated the signing of a grain corridor agreement between Russia and Ukraine, which remained in force for about a year after the war began in February 2022.
