UN secretary-general to visit Turkey amid efforts for peace in Ukraine

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, an important mediator seeking an end to Russia's war against Ukraine, will visit Turkey on April 25 before heading to Moscow and later Kiev.

"The secretary-general will visit Ankara, where, on April 25, he will be received by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan," the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement on April 24.

Guterres will then head to Moscow on April 26 to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, followed by a trip on April 28 to Kiev in an effort to mediate an end to Russia's invasion, which has killed thousands while driving over 10 million Ukrainians to flee from their homes since Feb. 24.

A spokesperson for Guterres said last week that the secretary-general will have a working meeting and lunch on April 26 with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and will be received by Putin in Moscow. "He hopes to talk about what can be done to bring peace to Ukraine urgently," U.N. associate spokesperson Eri Kaneko said.

Guterres will have a working meeting with Ukraine's foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, and will meet with President Volodymyr Zelensky on April 28.

Turkey has been trying to negotiate an end to the conflict, hosting meetings between Russian and Ukrainian negotiators in Istanbul, as well as a summit between the two countries' foreign ministers in Antalya.

Ankara urges the leaders of the two warring countries to have a meeting in Turkey in order to finalize a peace deal.

 Erdoğan talks to Zelensky

Turkey is ready to give all possible support for the peace talks and mediate between Russia and Ukraine in this bid, Erdoğan told his Ukrainian counterpart on April 24.

Erdoğan had a phone conversation with Zelenksy, the...