KYIV, April 22 (Reuters) - Ukraine has asked Turkey to host a meeting between President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Russian President Vladimir Putin, its top diplomat said, as Kyiv seeks to reinvigorate
Ukraine Requests Turkey Host Zelenskiy-Putin Meeting to Revive Peace Talks
Ukraine Seeks International Mediation for Peace Negotiations
KYIV, April 22 (Reuters) - Ukraine has asked Turkey to host a meeting between President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Russian President Vladimir Putin, its top diplomat said, as Kyiv seeks to reinvigorate stalling peace talks.
Ukraine's Diplomatic Efforts
"We asked the Turks about it, we asked some other capitals," Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said in comments to reporters on Tuesday that were cleared for release on Wednesday.
Preferred Locations for the Meeting
He added that Ukraine would be ready to consider any place other than Belarus or Russia for a meeting with Putin, which Zelenskiy has long sought to try to hasten a resolution of the more than four-year war.
Belarus' Role in the Conflict
Belarus is a close ally of Russia and allowed Moscow to use Belarusian territory to launch its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Responses to Ukraine's Proposal
Sybiha did not say how Ankara had responded to the proposal.
"We addressed the Turks specifically," he said. "But if another capital, besides Moscow and Belarus, organises such a meeting, we will go."
Kremlin's Stance on the Meeting Location
The Kremlin previously said it is willing to host Zelenskiy in Moscow, where the Ukrainian leader has said he will not go.
Other Diplomatic Channels
Separately, Sybiha said that he had already exchanged written messages with Anita Orban, who will become Hungary's new foreign minister when the new government, which won the election there earlier this month, takes power.
Reporting Credits
(Reporting by Max Hunder; Editing by Andrew Heavens and Thomas Derpinghaus)
