First direct peace talks since 2022 between Russia and Ukraine, in Istanbul this week, were "extremely important" towards ending the war, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in statements published Saturday.
"Bringing the delegations of both countries to Istanbul is extremely important to end the war ... and establish peace in the region," he told reporters on the plane returning from a European summit in Albania.
Although these talks, which lasted a little over 90 minutes, did not result in a truce, the parties agreed on a large-scale prisoner exchange and discussed a potential meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"To end the war, weapons must be silenced and diplomacy must speak," commented Erdogan, who had spoken with Mr. Zelensky in Ankara prior to the summit. "This opportunity should not be missed. This war cannot be ended by conflict and arms," he added.
After the meeting, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, who led the Ukrainian delegation, stated that the "next step" could be a Zelensky-Putin meeting.
Such a meeting is "possible," 'but only as a result of agreements between both sides,' the Kremlin spokesperson cautioned Saturday.