Speaking to reporters in Kyiv on Thursday, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Turkey was working on plans for a ceasefire specifically linked to energy infrastructure and shipping.
“President Erdogan mentioned this to me. I told him we would support it. He wanted to organise a corresponding meeting, initially at team level, then at the leaders’ level. I told him we are ready,” he said.
“Today, the United States believes we are close to an agreement,” he added.
“From what I understand, the Russians simply told them that they would not agree to any (interim) ceasefire unless an agreement is signed,” he said, referring to a full and complete peace deal.
Turkey, which has sought to maintain relations with Moscow and Kyiv throughout the war, controls the Bosphorus Strait, a key passage for transporting Ukrainian grain and Russian oil towards the Mediterranean.
In November, Erdogan said a ceasefire deal covering energy and port infrastructure constituted a potential basis for negotiations toward a comprehensive peace agreement, during an online meeting of Ukraine’s allies.