Turkey has offered to act as a mediator in peace talks between Ukraine and Russia. Ukraine has already reached out to Ankara for support on this issue. At the same time, Finland’s president has weighed in on Ukraine’s potential NATO membership.
Turkey on negotiations
According to Ukrinform, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said during the opening of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum that he believes the Russia–Ukraine war will end through negotiations. He stressed that Turkey is ready to support the process by acting as a mediator.
“Turkey is ready to contribute to advancing the peace process in Ukraine at all levels—both technical and leadership. We are prepared to provide a platform for negotiations, ensure the necessary organizational support, and help create conditions for constructive dialogue between the parties,” Erdoğan said.
He also emphasized that the war, now in its fifth year, continues to disrupt Europe’s security architecture and the global geopolitical balance. Therefore, he called for strengthening diplomacy to stabilize the international order.
Ukraine’s response
Ukraine has already asked Turkey to assist in organizing negotiations with Russia. Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said this in an interview with Ukrinform. He was commenting on the results of the Fifth Antalya Diplomacy Forum.
“We are ready for this meeting. The only issue is that Putin is currently avoiding it. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian president is ready. We want to end this war,” Sybiha stated.
He added that Ukraine expects both Erdoğan and Donald Trump to be present at potential negotiations. Ukraine has already prepared two proposals for a peaceful settlement and relies on Turkish support. In his view, Turkey could help accelerate the peace process. Sybiha also spoke positively about Turkish diplomacy, noting his previous experience as Ukraine’s ambassador to Turkey. He described it as effective and said its potential should be fully used, especially since Turkey is also interested in ending Russian aggression.
Ukraine and NATO
Finnish President Alexander Stubb said in an interview with CBC that it is time to seriously consider Ukraine’s accession to NATO. Finland itself joined the Alliance in 2023 and shares a 1,300-kilometer border with Russia. It is the longest among NATO and EU members.
According to Stubb, Ukraine is resisting Russian aggression more effectively than ever before. He pointed to Ukraine’s growing advantage in drone capabilities and noted that Russian losses exceed Ukrainian ones, linking Kyiv’s success to its use of drone technologies.
“We need to turn the tide. This is not anymore about giving alimony to Ukraine. We have to think about it the other way around. Can we afford to keep Ukraine outside [NATO] in the sense that they now have the greatest military know-how?” Stubb said.
The United States is paying attention to this discussion, although it has not expressed a clear intention to grant Ukraine NATO membership at this stage.
Earlier, The Ukrainian Review reported that the EU plans to allow the United Kingdom to join a large-scale €90 billion loan program aimed at supporting Ukraine. This initiative could help Kyiv purchase up to €60 billion worth of weapons as early as next year.
