Brussels - Ankara: Europe and the Arabs
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte arrives in Ankara today, Tuesday, May 13, 2025, ahead of the informal meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers, scheduled to be held in Antalya on May 14 and 15. The Secretary General will meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara. According to a statement from NATO Headquarters in Brussels, the Secretary General will chair an informal meeting of the North Atlantic Council (NAC) at the foreign ministers' level in Antalya, Turkey, on May 14-15, 2025.
This coincides with developments in the war in Ukraine, where NATO countries have supported the Ukrainian side. However, recent developments have begun to emerge, represented by efforts to reach a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed his support for US President Donald Trump's initiative for a "complete and unconditional ceasefire," hoping that this ceasefire would last "sufficient time to create the appropriate conditions for a diplomatic solution."
He added that he would travel to Turkey at an invitation to hold direct peace talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on May 15, expressing his hope that Trump would attend the meeting in Istanbul. "All of us in Ukraine would be grateful if President Trump could join us for this meeting in Turkey. It's a good idea. We can change a lot," Zelenskyy said.
He added, "I hope the Russians won't shirk the meeting," noting that he was still awaiting an official response from the Kremlin.
Putin himself had proposed holding "direct talks" with the Ukrainian side in Istanbul on Thursday, but has not yet announced his position on Zelenskyy's invitation.