London Summit to be Attended by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan

London summit, initiated by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, will be held tomorrow with the participation of Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.

Following the tension between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenskiy at the White House yesterday, the summit will also be attended by leading European countries, NATO, and the European Union (EU).

The summit will discuss proposals for providing security guarantees to Ukraine and deploying peacekeeping troops in the country. It is expected that Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will reiterate Turkey’s call to host possible peace talks between Russia and Ukraine at the summit.

UK Prime Minister Starmer, after his meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House on 27th February, called for a summit on Ukraine with the participation of European leaders.

In addition to Turkey, Ukraine, Germany, France, Italy, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, Finland, Sweden, the Czech Republic, and Romania, NATO and the EU have also been invited to the summit.

In addition to host Starmer, the summit is expected to be attended by Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenskiy, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Luigi Meloni, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, EU Council President Antonio Costa, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and leaders of EU member countries.

With intense diplomatic traffic aiming to end the Ukraine war, the main agenda of the summit will be the security guarantees likely to be provided to Ukraine and what European countries can do in this regard.

Following this summit, it is foreseen that the EU will hold a special meeting on Ukraine on 6th March.

First Meeting Turkey is Invited to

The London summit is seen as part of the conferences initiated by Europe in February to determine its position against the normalization process between the US and Russia. Turkey was not invited to the two meetings previously held in France.

The London summit stands out as the first meeting Turkey is invited to during this process.

In a phone call between UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on 28th February, the content of the summit and the events in Ukraine were discussed.

In the statement made by the Communications Directorate, Erdoğan noted that Turkey is exerting efforts for a fair and permanent agreement to end the war and is ready to do its part, including hosting peace efforts.

Ankara Sends a Message of ‘Hosting’

According to Turkish diplomatic sources, Fidan will deliver important messages at the London summit.

It is expected that Fidan will convey Turkey’s thoughts on the recent initiatives by US President Trump, including negotiations to end the Ukraine war, and the contributions Ankara can offer to the peace process.

Turkey argues that Russia and Ukraine should be at the table simultaneously in talks to end the war. Ankara believes that Trump engaging directly with Moscow on these issues is not correct.

It is expected that Fidan will highlight Turkey’s efforts to end the war with a fair and permanent peace, as well as emphasize Ankara’s recent contacts with both Russia and Ukraine.

Fidan is expected to confirm Turkey’s support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence, as well as express readiness to host direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, as in March 2022.

Will Turkey Send Soldiers for Peacekeeping?

The most important agenda item of the summit is to guarantee Ukraine’s security and deploy peacekeeping forces along the agreed lines within a possible peace agreement.

One of the main reasons Turkey is invited to this summit is its potential support for such a force as an ally with NATO’s second-largest military force.

International media reports claimed that Turkey was open to this idea. However, Ankara has not yet revealed its official position on this matter.

It is noted that Turkey is monitoring the developments in the process, and will decide based on the attitudes of all relevant parties and the progress of the Ukraine-Russia peace process.

The priority of the Turkish government in this process is considered to be hosting negotiations and mediating to establish a ceasefire.