Erdogan: Turkey could host peace talks between Ukraine, Russia

March 9 (UPI) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says he is willing to host a summit between Ukraine and Russia in the interests of reaching a "fair peace" in the ongoing conflict.

Erdogan announced Turkey's preparedness to host peace talks during a joint news conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday after the two met at the Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul.

"While we continue our solidarity with Ukraine, we will continue to endeavor to end the war with fair peace based on negotiation," Erdogan told reporters at the event, stressing that Turkey continues to support Ukraine's territorial boundaries but invites Russia to participate in future peace talks to end the war.

Zelensky arrived in Turkey earlier Friday to meet with Erdogan to discuss the war with Russia. The two leaders met for about 90 minutes prior to the news conference.

The Ukrainian leader cast doubt on Russia's participation in the proposed peace talks, saying he doesn't "see a place for Russia" at a peace summit and referring to Russia as "people who block everything, destroy and kill."

He told reporters he doesn't see how it would be possible to invite Russia to a peace summit.

Zelensky and Erdogan met to discuss the two-year war begun when Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and related matters.

Officials in Switzerland in January also offered to host a peace summit, proposing that more than 160 nations would be invited to discuss Ukraine's 10-point peace plan. Zelensky shared the plan with G20 leaders on Nov. 15.

Ukrainian officials said peace talks with Russia might be viable following such a global peace summit in Switzerland, depending on its outcome.

Zelensky wants Russia to completely withdraw from Ukrainian territory, release all prisoners of war and deportees, and ensure food security, energy security and safety from nuclear attack.

Leaders in Turkey and Ukraine also want to restore the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which provided a safe shipping corridor for shipping grain and fertilizer from Ukraine's Black Sea ports to locales dependent upon the food source.

The United Nations and Turkey helped craft the initiative in July 2022, but it was halted after about a year when Russia backed out of the agreement. Russian officials said the initiative interfered with its own exports of grain and fertilizer.