Turkey's FM to visit Kyiv on May 29-30 after discussing Ukraine peace efforts with Putin, media reports

Editor's note: The story has been updated with the dates of Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan's visit to Ukraine.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will visit Kyiv on May 29-30 after his two-day trip to Moscow, the Turkish media outlet Hurriyet reported on May 28.

Fidan is expected to meet Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and President Volodymyr Zelensky. The Turkish official plans to discuss bilateral relations between the states, particularly in the areas of trade, energy, defense, and security, according to Hurriyet.

Fidan, whose country hosted the first direct peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in three years, met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on May 26 to discuss recent peace initiatives and the May 16 talks in Istanbul, Reuters wrote.

The Istanbul negotiations ended without a breakthrough, as Moscow continues to reject Kyiv and the West's calls for an unconditional ceasefire. The only apparent tangible result of the talks was a 1,000-for-1,000 prisoner exchange, which concluded on May 25.

During his visit to Moscow, Turkey's top diplomat also met with Vladimir Medinsky, Putin's aide who led the Russian delegation in Istanbul, and with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

Turkey has acted as a mediator in the Russia-Ukraine war, hosting earlier unsuccessful peace talks in Istanbul in 2022 and maintaining close contact with Moscow and Kyiv. Reuters reported that the country has also offered to host a potential upcoming session of peace talks.

No venue or date for the next round of Russia-Ukraine negotiations has been set. Russia has dismissed Ukraine's suggestion that the Vatican could host the talks, and reportedly instead sees Turkey or some of the Gulf states as more suitable options.

International peace efforts show little progress as Russia continues to push for maximalist demands, including Ukraine's withdrawal from four partially occupied regions it claims to have annexed.

U.S. President Donald Trump, who has pledged to broker a swift peace treaty between the two belligerent sides, has increasingly signaled that he may quit the effort unless progress is made soon. Trump has been reluctant to pressure Moscow toward a ceasefire, threatening repeatedly with sanctions but refusing to take the step so far.

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The Kyiv IndependentAndrea Januta