Turkey said on Monday it was ready to host possible talks between Ukraine and Russia and would support any initiative leading to peace, following a visit to Ankara by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan highlighted Turkey's previous mediation efforts, including the Black Sea grain deal, which enabled Ukrainian agricultural exports until Russia withdrew in 2023.

Erdogan says Ankara fully supports Ukraine's territorial integrity and is ready to contribute for peace as Washington excludes Kyiv in talks with Russia

On the third anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has once again offered to organize negotiations aimed at resolving the conflict. Turkey, a NATO country with ties to both Ukraine and Russia,

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday that Russia was not opposed to Europe's involvement in Russia-U.S. peace talks aimed at settling the conflict in Ukraine, but noted that Brussels had long rejected any dialogue with Moscow.

Europe's participation in Ukraine peace talks will be needed eventually but Moscow first wants to build trust with Washington, President Vladimir Putin said on Monday, while suggesting that a deal to end the conflict may still be far off.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine is still raging, but Vladyslav Chumachenko, a frontline medic, is already anticipating the next war.

Russia wants a long-term peace deal over Ukraine that tackles what it regards as the root causes of the conflict and not a quick U.S.-backed ceasefire followed by a swift restart of fighting, a senior Russian diplomat told the RIA news agency.

The United States is reportedly nearing a peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia, according to Steve Witkoff, the U.S. envoy to the Middle East. He said that any potential deal would require both territorial and economic concessions from both sides.

It has been 3 years since Russia invaded Ukraine, but a change in America's Presidency has fast-tracked a potential peace agreement between the two sides. Trump has also sidelined key European NATO allies and Ukraine itself from these critical discussions.