Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan plans to present his proposal to freeze the war in Ukraine under the current conditions today, November 18, at the G20 leaders' meeting in Rio de Janeiro. Bloomberg reports citing its sources, UNN reports.
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Erdogan, the newspaper writes, will propose to Zelenskyy to postpone discussions on joining the alliance for at least 10 years as a concession to Putin, according to people with knowledge of his plans who asked not to be identified.
The Turkish proposal includes the creation of a demilitarized zone in Donbas, where Russia has controlled large areas since 2014. Erdogan will reportedly offer to deploy international troops there as an additional guarantee and provide Ukraine with military supplies as compensation for agreeing not to join NATO.
Turkish officials recognize that it would be difficult for Ukraine to accept such a proposal, but they believe it is the most realistic approach. They would like to put aside discussions about the long-term fate of the occupied territories and focus on securing a stable ceasefire.
Western opinion changed after North Korean troops appeared on the battlefield to support Putin's forces, and this influenced Biden's opinion on potentially authorizing missile strikes against Russia. Some G20 countries estimate that North Korea could end up sending up to 100,000 troops to Russia.
Erdogan hopes that he can convince Zelenskyy to take part in peace talks in Istanbul, as he has received intelligence indicating that Ukraine could lose significantly more territory in the next few months if the fighting does not stop. But the prospects on the battlefield also give Putin an incentive to keep fighting.
China and Brazil, which will also attend the Rio summit, have been calling for an international conference involving both sides since May.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will reportedly not attend the G20 - Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva ignored his request for an invitation. Putin decided not to attend the summit, saying last month that his presence would "disrupt" the meeting due to an arrest warrant for war crimes issued by the International Criminal Court.