Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Turkey on Thursday to underscore his commitment to ending the war, as his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin stayed away, sending a junior delegation instead.

President Tayyip Erdogan told Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Ankara on Thursday that Turkey was ready to host him and Russia's Vladimir Putin for peace talks "when they are ready", his office said.

MUSTAFA KUTLAY is a Senior Lecturer at City St George’s, University of London, a Senior Scholar at Istanbul Policy Center, and a co-author, with Mina Toksoz and William Hale, of Industrial Policy in Turkey: Rise, Retreat and Return.

Foreign Ministers in NATO meet in Turkey on Thursday to prepare a pivotal summit of alliance leaders next month that will set the course for future European security as the U.S. focuses on challenges elsewhere.

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Thursday that Turkey expects the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia to fulfil a deal the group agreed with the Syrian government, under which it is to integrate into Syria's armed forces.

FILE PHOTO: Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with members of the Delovaya Rossiya (Business Russia) National Public Organisation and participants of the organisation's 20th Congress and Forum via video link at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia May 13, 2025. Sputnik/Alexander Kazakov/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

The US approved the sale of $304 million-worth of missiles to Turkey as the NATO allies work to strengthen trade and defense ties.