Advisor to the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Mikhail Podolyak considers the fact that Turkish President Recep Erdogan offered to hold talks between his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian leader Vladimir Putin on the territory of his country to be an important moment. A representative of the OP said this in a commentary for Focus.

Mikhail Podolyak noted that at the moment it is difficult and not quite correct to comment on the hypothetical reactions to this proposal by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"There are too many, in my opinion, irrational factors shaping the worldview position of the current Russian Federation. But it is important that this proposal from the Turkish side is on the table, and responding to it is among the possible options," the adviser to the OP head said in a comment to Focus.

Podolyak stressed that President Erdogan perfectly understands the nuances of the situation in the region, the specific ambitions of different players, the mood of people in both Ukraine and Russia, so his proposal sounds weighty.

"It is also clear that Erdogan himself proceeds from regional Turkish interests. Nevertheless, we do see that the Russian side is experiencing a certain weakness in its negotiating position. They do not have good answers to the quite logical questions about those obligations that the Russian side is no longer fulfilling. Perhaps this is why they do not say anything specific in response to any new negotiating proposals," noted the advisor to the head of the President's Office.

Let us remind you that Erdogan's proposal to Zelensky and Putin to hold talks in Turkey was reported by the local media on January 19. In Ankara assured that they were ready to play any role to reduce tensions between Kiev and Moscow.

On Jan. 18, Erdogan said he believed a full-scale Russian military entry into Ukraine was unlikely. The Turkish leader called for a peaceful settlement of the conflict in Donbas and once again stressed that he opposed the occupation of Crimea.

Recall that on February 3, Erdogan plans to visit Kiev on a working visit. This day will mark the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Ukraine and Turkey.