Zelenskyy Names Türkiye as Possible Venue for Putin Talks
By Bosphorus News Geopolitics Desk
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has named Türkiye as one of the possible venues for direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, in an open letter published by the Ukrainian presidency on June 4, 2026.
The letter calls for a clear date to be set for a leaders' meeting on the war and a possible peace track. Zelenskyy said such a meeting should not take place in Moscow or Kyiv, and pointed instead to countries able to host both sides.
"There are enough countries in the world capable of hosting leaders to discuss matters of war and peace: Switzerland, Türkiye, the countries of the Arab world," Zelenskyy wrote in the official English version of the letter.
The wording gives Türkiye renewed visibility in the Russia-Ukraine diplomatic file, but it does not mean that Ankara will host a summit. No Turkish announcement has confirmed a meeting, and Moscow has not accepted direct Putin-Zelenskyy talks.
Reuters also reported the letter, noting that Zelenskyy proposed Switzerland, Türkiye or Arab countries as possible venues. The agency said the Kremlin had received the letter, while Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said it would also be sent through diplomatic channels.
Türkiye has hosted previous rounds of Russia-Ukraine talks and played a central role in the Black Sea grain deal, one of the most visible diplomatic arrangements reached during the war. Ankara has continued to maintain working channels with both Kyiv and Moscow while remaining a NATO member.
That makes Zelenskyy's reference politically significant. Türkiye is being named by Kyiv not as part of a Western-only format, but as a country that could still be presented as a workable venue for a leaders' meeting.
The main obstacle remains Moscow. Russian officials have signaled reluctance toward direct talks between Putin and Zelenskyy without prior conditions or a clearer negotiation framework.
The confirmed development is therefore narrow but important: Ukraine's president has formally placed Türkiye among the possible neutral hosts for a Putin-Zelenskyy meeting. Whether that turns into a summit depends on Russia's response and on whether a diplomatic format can be built around the proposal.