Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has developed his own plan for a peaceful settlement of the Russian-Ukrainian war, which he intends to present in the near future. According to Bloomberg, Erdogan plans to present his initiative during the G20 leaders’ meeting in Rio de Janeiro on Monday.
The Turkish leader proposes to postpone the discussion of Ukraine’s accession to NATO for at least 10 years as a concession to Russia to ensure stability in the region. This should be a key element of a peace initiative aimed at reducing tensions and maintaining strategic balance.
Erdogan proposes to create a demilitarised zone in the areas seized by Russia since 2014, as well as to deploy “international troops” to ensure the security of this territory. This will be part of a mechanism to guarantee stability in the region and reduce the escalation of the conflict.
If the proposal to freeze the conflict is accepted, Turkey will guarantee Ukraine continued arms supplies, which will be “compensation” for its refusal to join NATO in the coming years.
Reactions of Ukraine and the West:
Turkish officials acknowledge that such a proposal would be difficult for Ukraine, but it is an attempt to create conditions for a stable truce. However, some sources say that Erdogan hopes to convince Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to take part in peace talks in Istanbul, arguing that intelligence indicates that Ukraine may lose territory if the fighting continues.
At the same time, Putin continues to demonstrate his lack of readiness for peace talks, despite the significant losses among Russian troops. The Russian president has stated that any agreement should take into account Russia’s security interests and territorial gains.
Western leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, have indicated in the run-up to the G20 summit that Putin does not want peace and is not ready for negotiations, emphasising the Kremlin’s intention to intensify hostilities in the coming weeks.
Thus, although Erdogan’s peace plan has the potential to reduce tensions in the region, its implementation faces significant political and strategic obstacles from both Ukraine and Russia.
