Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday, November 5, that he wants to speak to Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss efforts to end Russia's war in Ukraine, following his talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Istanbul on Saturday, Reuters reported, citing a transcript of Erdogan's comments shared by his office.

Source: Reuters

Speaking to reporters on his return flight from South Korea, Erdogan said Turkiye was doing everything possible to pave the way for peace and would continue to do so. "Following our meeting with President Zelenskiy, we now want to address the Russian side of the issue by holding talks with President Putin," he said, according to the transcript reported by Reuters and Turkiye's Anadolu Agency.

Officials from both sides in contact

Erdogan said Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and other relevant officials were holding talks with both Kyiv and Moscow about a potential meeting between Russia and Ukraine in Turkiye. Ankara has kept channels open to both capitals throughout the war and has hosted earlier rounds of contacts.

Asked about a possible Erdogan-Putin conversation, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said there were no concrete plans at the moment, but a call could be organised at short notice if necessary, Reuters reported. No date for any call or meeting has been announced.

Abu Dhabi talks are also ahead

Erdogan's move comes as a separate diplomatic track gathers pace: US special envoy Steve Witkoff has said delegations from Ukraine and Russia will meet in Abu Dhabi on November 10 and 11 for US-led trilateral talks on ending the war, post-war security arrangements and de-escalation. Zelenskiy discussed those guarantees with Witkoff and Jared Kushner this week, in a development Awaaz Punjab reported on November 4.

Read the earlier development: Zelenskiy discussed Abu Dhabi security guarantees with Witkoff and Kushner. Zelenskiy-Witkoff-Kushner call

What happens next depends first on whether Moscow takes up Erdogan's offer of a call. If it does, Turkiye could again position itself as a venue for direct Russia-Ukraine talks alongside the Abu Dhabi track — but neither side has announced a ceasefire, a summit, or any agreement, and the fighting continues while diplomacy moves.