Kyiv signing the Istanbul communique may have quickly stopped the war and the killing. But the Kremlin has repeatedly shown it cannot be trusted to adhere to agreements – you only have to look at the way it repeatedly violated the Minsk accords of 2015, which attempted to end hostilities in eastern Ukraine.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan highlighted Turkey's previous mediation efforts, including the Black Sea grain deal, which enabled Ukrainian agricultural exports until Russia withdrew in 2023.

As officials in Washington, D.C., and Moscow prepare to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is critical of negotiations that exclude his nation.