Ankara wants a Moscow sit-down after Zelenskiy talks, as US-brokered Ukraine-Russia meetings open in Abu Dhabi on Nov. 10-11.
MoneyTurkey Politics Desk | 5 November 2026
Key points
- Erdogan said he wants to meet Putin to push an end to the Russia-Ukraine war after talks with Zelenskiy, Anadolu reported.
- US special envoy Steve Witkoff said Ukrainian and Russian delegations will meet in Abu Dhabi on Nov. 10-11, Al Jazeera reported.
- Any credible mediation path matters for energy, grain and defense-name risk that still prices the war’s duration.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he wants to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss ending the Russia-Ukraine war after his talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Speaking on his return flight from South Korea, Erdogan said Turkey will keep pressing for a close to the conflict. The remarks land as Washington prepares three-way talks in Abu Dhabi on Nov. 10 and 11 — a fresh calendar that markets will read against oil, grain and European risk assets.
What happened
Erdogan said Turkey will continue mediation and intends to address the Russian side by meeting Putin, Anadolu reported. He said Ankara is doing everything it can to pave the way for peace between Russia and Ukraine.
On US midterms, Erdogan said Ankara will keep close dialogue with the administration, the House and the Senate, Anadolu reported. He said it is too early to draw firm conclusions about the election’s impact on Turkey-US ties and the Middle East.
US special envoy Steve Witkoff said Ukrainian and Russian delegations will meet in Abu Dhabi on Nov. 10 and 11, Al Jazeera reported. The agenda covers post-war security agreements, de-escalation, humanitarian steps and ending the war. Putin agreed to the new round after meeting Witkoff in St Petersburg on Oct. 21.
Erdogan also said he had held phone talks with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and sent his intelligence chief and foreign minister ahead of a planned Nov. 8 Victory Day visit to Azerbaijan, Anadolu reported.
What is at stake for markets
Turkey sits between NATO membership, Black Sea logistics and open channels to both Moscow and Kyiv. A live Erdogan-Putin track — alongside US-brokered talks in Abu Dhabi — is a duration signal for the war that still feeds through energy prices, grain routes and European defense names.
Erdogan framed Turkish-American ties as longstanding NATO foundations and said Ankara hopes midterm results help regional stability, Daily Sabah reported. For traders, the nearer read is whether November’s dual diplomacy (Ankara-Moscow plus Abu Dhabi) softens escalation risk or proves another empty calendar date.
Zelenskiy said Ukrainian intelligence had warned Russia was preparing a new mass strike on energy and logistics networks timed around the US midterms, Al Jazeera reported. He urged Washington to pressure Moscow until it has no alternative but to end the war — a reminder that diplomatic headlines can still collide with kinetic risk on Ukrainian infrastructure.
Why it matters
Turkey has kept diplomatic channels with both Russia and Ukraine since the war began and has repeatedly pushed negotiations as the path to a durable peace, Daily Sabah reported. That positioning is the missed-markets angle majors often bury under wire copy: Ankara as a durable go-between when US politics and Gulf venues reset the talk track.
If Erdogan does sit with Putin while Abu Dhabi hosts the next US-mediated round, the story for books is less “peace deal tomorrow” and more whether de-escalation language starts to show up in energy and grain risk premia into mid-November.
What to watch
- Nov. 8: Erdogan visit to Azerbaijan for Victory Day
- Nov. 10-11: US-mediated Ukraine-Russia talks in Abu Dhabi
- Any confirmed Erdogan-Putin meeting date and agenda
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For information only. Not investment advice.
