Erdogan again proposes Putin meet with Zelensky in Istanbul

KYIV. April 26 (Interfax-Ukraine) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan proposed in a telephone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin that the status of the Russian-Ukrainian negotiations in Istanbul be elevated to the top level, the Turkish presidential office said.

"President Erdogan reiterated his proposal to elevate the Istanbul process, an important threshold for the negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, to leaders' level," the office said on Twitter on Tuesday.

Mentioning the importance of a ceasefire, efficiently operating humanitarian corridors, and safe evacuations, Erdogan said Turkey will "continue to make every effort to bring an end to the current state of affairs, which harms everyone, and to establish lasting peace," it said.

"President Erdogan stated that the continuation of the positive momentum gained at the Istanbul talks with a view to paving the way to peace would benefit all," it said.