Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz said that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky could potentially meet in Istanbul, which previously hosted direct Russia-Ukraine talks. He highlighted President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s role in achieving concrete results, such as the Black Sea grain deal and prisoner exchanges, positioning Turkey as a credible mediator. Erdogan has reiterated his readiness to facilitate peace talks. However, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated on August 22 that there are no current plans for a Putin-Zelensky meeting, noting that Putin would be ready only when there is a concrete agenda.
