Erdogan Pledges Turkey's Help on Ukraine Peace Talks in Call With Trump

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told President Donald Trump in a phone call that Turkey will keep contributing to diplomatic efforts to end the war between Russia and Ukraine, according to Erdogan's office. The call comes days before U.S., Ukrainian and Russian delegations are due to meet in Abu Dhabi.

Erdogan expressed hope that the intensified diplomacy will produce positive results, Mezha.net and Ukrainska Pravda reported, citing the Turkish presidency's statement.

What Erdogan and Trump discussed

According to the statement from Erdogan's office, which Ukrainska Pravda said was posted on X, the Turkish leader stressed the importance of stepping up engagement with both Ukraine and Russia. He assured Trump that Turkey would continue to play a part in the peace efforts.

The two leaders also covered relations between Turkey and the United States, as well as regional and global developments, Ukrainska Pravda reported. The Turkish statement did not include any announced agreement or decision from the call, and no comment from the White House appeared in the reports.

How the call fits into recent Turkish diplomacy

The conversation follows a series of contacts on the same subject. Ukrainska Pravda listed the recent steps:

• Oct. 31: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Istanbul and met Erdogan. They discussed preparations for future talks among Ukraine, the United States and Russia, and the possibility of holding the next round in Turkey.
• Nov. 5: Erdogan said he wanted to hold talks with Russian leader Vladimir Putin on ending the war, after discussing the issue with Zelenskyy in Istanbul the previous week.
• Nov. 10-11: Trilateral talks among the United States, Ukraine and Russia are scheduled in Abu Dhabi. They are expected to focus on further steps toward peace.

Taken together, the reports show Erdogan positioning Turkey as a possible host and intermediary. Whether the next round of negotiations will take place in Turkey has not been settled, according to the reports.

Why it matters for the push to end the war

For readers following the war, the call is a sign of which governments are working on the diplomatic track and how they describe their roles. Erdogan's emphasis on engaging both Kyiv and Moscow reflects Turkey's stated approach of keeping channels open with both sides while also maintaining ties with Washington.

The call does not itself change anything on the ground. No ceasefire, deadline or new terms were reported. Its practical significance lies in the talks around it: a possible Erdogan-Putin conversation and the Abu Dhabi meeting, where the three parties are due to discuss next steps. Outcomes of those meetings, rather than statements of hope, will determine whether the diplomacy moves forward.

What happens next

The nearest fixed date is the Abu Dhabi meeting on Nov. 10-11. Erdogan has said he wants to speak with Putin, though the reports do not say whether a call or meeting has been scheduled. The question of holding a later round of negotiations in Turkey, raised during Zelenskyy's Istanbul visit, remains open.

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Around Prague, based on reporting by Mezha.net, Українська правда