By Barçın Yinanç
As soon as talk emerged about a possible meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Turkish press began speculating about the potential venue—expressing wishful hopes that Turkey might serve as the host for the highly anticipated summit.
The two ended up meeting in Alaska, yet following their discussion, the possibility of a trilateral meeting, including Ukraine’s leader, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, or a bilateral one between the Ukrainian and Russian leaders, again fueled speculation that Turkey might be the venue. Zelenskyy said on Aug. 26, that Turkey, the Gulf states, or European countries could host any talks he may hold with Putin. Two days later, he spoke by phone with Erdoğan.
Turkey hosted high-level delegations from the two countries a few months after the war started. And Istanbul again served as the venue for a new round of talks this year, one taking place in June and the most recent one in July.
Mediation or facilitation entails more than merely arranging logistics like the venue and refreshments. It requires diplomatic/linguistic skills, creativity, and experience, especially when the two sides are not willing to compromise or when talks become deadlocked. Given that a substantial share of the Turkish Foreign Ministry’s time is dedicated to diplomatic negotiations—starting with Cyprus, Turkish diplomacy is well-positioned for roles in mediation and facilitation.
KAMCHATKA FORMULA
One such skill was displayed on the last round of talks in Istanbul to solve a timing crisis between Ukraine and Russia, as the Ukrainians insisted on holding talks on Wednesday while the Russians wanted to start on Thursday.
The Turkish side informed the parties that if the meeting were to begin at 7:00 p.m. Turkish time, it would already be 4:00 a.m. Thursday in Kamchatka, meaning that Russia would technically be at the table on Thursday, according to a news story by Habertürk.
At the end, the delegations started their talk at 7:00 p.m.
But mediation/facilitation requires discretion and modesty as well; two attributes that are lacking on the Turkish side.
In the last two meetings, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan was seen seated in front of a platform bearing the word “Istanbul” at the top, flanked by two Turkish flags, with the Ukrainian and Russian flags on either side.
Each time the meetings started with rather lengthy introductory remarks by Fidan, who never forgets to give credit to the Turkish leader.
Erdoğan, who is in constant touch with Zelenskyy and Putin, is exerting maximum effort to ensure progress in the process, said Fidan ahead of the talks in June.
Following the first meeting, Fidan stated that, upon President Erdoğan’s instructions, they visited Russia and Ukraine to prepare for the Turkey-Russia-Ukraine Trilateral Meeting, and that they discussed the matter with both sides.
“As Turkey, we are ready to take all kinds of facilitating steps,” he said.
At the beginning of the July talks, Fidan once again took the opportunity to praise President Erdoğan. Emphasizing that Erdoğan has long been a leader carrying the “torch of peace” in a region plagued by conflict, Fidan said, “Under his leadership, Turkey has been making intense efforts since day one to realize peace between Russia and Ukraine.”
The praise for Erdoğan was followed by self-praise.
Fidan emphasized that Turkey, as the host country, aims to offer a negotiation setting in which both parties feel secure, and stressed that Turkey will continue to diligently carry out its responsibilities as a facilitator.
He ended his speech with self-promotion for future missions: “If a consensus is reached toward a ceasefire, we also have the necessary infrastructure in place to support a monitoring mechanism. We can also contribute to carrying out prisoner exchanges based on a more structured methodology.”
MEDIATING TO BOLSTER ERDOĞAN
Several countries have built strong reputations as neutral and effective mediators in international conflicts. Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland are the first to come to mind. The latter has been hosting Cyprus talks without specifically playing a mediation role. While the Swiss hosted the famous 2009 Turkish-Armenian protocol talks, they tried to facilitate behind the scenes to reach a final agreement. But it’s very rare that you encounter a Swiss or Norwegian official constantly promoting the country’s role in diplomatic summits. Qatar and the United Arab Emirates have been emerging as mediators or host countries, yet you don’t come across similar self-appraisals from them either.
Turkey’s ruling elites are increasingly struggling to curb the decline in their domestic popularity. President Erdoğan, in particular, seeks to position himself as a global statesman and peacemaker to bolster his image at home. Yet these self-promotional efforts risk overshadowing Turkey’s credibility as a neutral host for diplomatic talks, with negotiating parties potentially growing uneasy over Ankara’s eagerness for the spotlight.
By way of consolation, there is perhaps only one leader whose self-praise could overshadow that of the Turkish leadership: Donald Trump.
