The Turkish analyst linked the shift in rhetoric to Kyiv’s battlefield position and the rising costs of the conflict for European countries, RIA Novosti reported.
ANKARA, October 5. European leaders are increasingly urging Moscow to resume negotiations on Ukraine because, in their view, Kyiv’s position has become catastrophic, Nijat Sezgin, head of the Turkish Centre for the Study of Crises in Europe, told RIA Novosti.
Sezgin linked the change in rhetoric to Kyiv’s worsening battlefield position and the growing burden the conflict places on European states. He said politicians were seeking a way back to talks as risks increase.
RIA Novosti reported that German Chancellor Friedrich Merz called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to pursue peace talks during a visit to Kyiv. The German newspaper Taz.de reported the remarks on October 4.
Sezgin also said Kyiv and its Western backers had threatened to defeat Russia but sought a ceasefire and negotiations whenever the situation at the front worsened. That is the analyst’s assessment as reported by the agency.
Moscow has repeatedly said it seeks to eliminate the causes of the conflict and achieve lasting peace rather than a temporary ceasefire. The Russian side says Ukraine uses such pauses to rearm and prepare further attacks.