Turkey will take part in peace talks next week to discuss ways to end the Ukraine conflict, President Volodymyr Zelensky said, after speaking with Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The Mediterranean island of Malta announced Friday it would host a round of Ukraine peace talks on October 28-29, after similar meetings in Jeddah and Copenhagen earlier this year. “We discussed the next round of the Peace Formula talks in Malta,” Zelensky said after a call with Erdogan.
“Turkey will participate, adding its authoritative voice and stance,” Zelensky said. Russia is not expected to take part in the talks, which Zelensky hopes will rally support for his own peace plan.
Similar talks were held in Copenhagen in June and in the Saudi city of Jeddah in August. Representatives from around 40 countries including China, India, the United States and Ukraine took part in the Saudi summit, which did not result in a final declaration.
Both Russia and Ukraine are preparing for a gruelling winter ahead, with Ukraine warning of renewed strikes on its energy infrastructure and Russia trying to suppress a Ukrainian counteroffensive.
Turkey has offered itself as a mediator between the two warring parties, helping to broker a deal in July last year that allowed safe grain exports via the Black Sea.
Turkey has since been in talks with both sides about reviving the deal, which collapsed after Russia pulled out less than a year later.