- Erdogan is rumored to be proposing to freeze the conflict in Ukraine, delay NATO membership
- Anonymous Turkish source denies published information about a concrete plan
- Russia strongly opposes freezing the conflict
- Other known plans for peace in Ukraine
Erdogan is rumored to be proposing to freeze the conflict in Ukraine, delay NATO membership
Bloomberg reported, citing sources, that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is to present to the G20 his plan to freeze the conflict in Ukraine at the G20 summit in Brazil[1].
According to the agency, Erdogan will invite Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to postpone discussions on Ukraine joining the North Atlantic Alliance for at least ten years as a concession to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In addition, the 'Erdogan plan' allegedly envisages the creation of a demilitarized zone in the eastern part of the Donbas and the deployment of 'international troops' there as an additional guarantee of Ukraine's security.
Turkey may also advocate the supply of arms to Kyiv to compensate for the Ukrainian authorities' temporary refusal to join NATO.
According to a Turkish official quoted by Bloomberg, Ukraine will find it difficult to accept such a proposal, but Ankara considers it the most realistic.
"The general formula may appeal to some of Kyiv's allies, who worry that Ukraine's full membership of NATO could bring them into direct conflict with the Kremlin," the article says.
In addition, according to Bloomberg, Erdogan hopes to persuade Zelensky to start peace talks in Istanbul.
Anonymous Turkish source denies published information about a concrete plan
At the same time, an anonymous Turkish diplomatic source told RIA Novosti that Bloomberg's information does not correspond to reality[2].
"We support diplomatic initiatives to end the war between Ukraine and Russia. On the other hand, the parts of the article related to Turkey published by Bloomberg do not reflect reality", he said.
However, the source noted that the settlement of the conflict in Ukraine will be a priority topic for Erdogan's meetings at the G20 summit: "The issue of peace in Ukraine is at the top of the agenda of the Turkish President's talks with world leaders in all international venues, including the G20 meeting in Brazil. As has been said, this is a priority of Turkish foreign policy. The main challenge is stopping bloodshed and achieving a sustainable ceasefire."[3]
The Turkish authorities did not comment officially on the information published by Bloomberg.
Russia strongly opposes freezing the conflict
Dmitry Peskov, the Russian President's spokesman, said the Russian authorities had no information about Erdogan's proposal. He said the topic had not been officially discussed but that the Kremlin had taken note of the Bloomberg publication.
"A certain option of "freezing" the conflict along the line of contact is, of course, a priori unacceptable for the Russian side. In this case, the June deadlines formulated by President Putin remain fully relevant. This is what needs to be done to stop the hostilities", Peskov said.
Other known plans for peace in Ukraine
In June, during a meeting with the Russian foreign ministry's leadership, Putin outlined Russia's conditions for holding peace talks. He called for the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the new territories of the Russian Federation, Ukraine's refusal to join NATO, Kyiv's acceptance of a neutral, non-nuclear status, and the lifting of all Western sanctions. In Ukraine, these offers were considered an "ultimatum"[4].
V. For his part, Zelensky drew up a "victory plan" which he presented to the Verkhovna Rada on 16 October. The Head of State refused to talk publicly about all the items but identified the main ones: Ukraine's accession to NATO, the lifting of restrictions on the use of Western long-range weapons for strikes deep into the Russian Federation, the deployment of a "comprehensive non-nuclear strategic deterrence package" on Ukrainian territory, the development of the country's economic potential, the transfer of Ukrainian military experience to NATO and European defense, and later the replacement of the US contingent by Ukrainian armed forces military personnel. In Russia, the Ukrainian leader's plan has been criticized as an attempt to draw the West into a direct military confrontation with Russia[5].
China has also proposed a resolution to the conflict in 2023. The PRC's 12-point plan called for a ceasefire, respect for the legitimate security interests of all parties, the start of a dialogue between Moscow and Kiev, and a refusal to impose unilateral sanctions without a corresponding decision by the UN Security Council. Russia responded positively to these proposals, but Kyiv rejected them.
In the same year, seven African countries presented another peace initiative. A delegation including the Presidents of Zambia, Comoros, Senegal, South Africa, the Prime Ministers of Egypt, the Republic of Congo, and Uganda visited first Kiev and then Moscow. The plan they proposed consisted of 10 points, including the early start of negotiations, de-escalation of the conflict on both sides, guaranteeing the sovereignty of states in accordance with the UN Charter, and security guarantees for all parties.
As Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said in July 2023, Moscow has received more than 30 different peace initiatives from other countries. Brazil, the Vatican, Indonesia, Italy, Saudi Arabia, and Indonesia were among the countries that proposed solutions to the conflict.
