Despite the lack of progress in the third round of Russia-Ukraine peace talks in Istanbul, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan appears undeterred. While Kyiv and Moscow remain entrenched in irreconcilable positions, Ankara is playing a deeper game-one of strategic patience and calculated positioning. With no clear breakthrough in sight, Türkiye is less concerned about short-term success than about establishing itself as the indispensable broker of any future peace settlement. Backed by the quiet nod of Washington-especially under the returning influence of Donald Trump-Erdoğan is making a bid to shape the postwar architecture in Eastern Europe.

The latest Istanbul negotiations, held behind closed doors at Dolmabahçe Palace, lasted barely an hour-short enough to be dismissed as symbolic. Delegates arrived with well-rehearsed talking points, but no new flexibility. Ukraine reiterated its longstanding demands: a complete ceasefire, release of captives, and a direct meeting between Presidents Volodymyr Zelensky and Vladimir Putin. Moscow, in contrast, offered a more technocratic proposal, suggesting talks across three specific tracks-military, political, and humanitarian. They even floated the idea of localized ceasefires for civilian evacuation.

Yet the most critical element-mutual political will-remained absent. Russian spokesman Dmitry Peskov admitted the obvious: “The sides are far apart,” he said. The gulf between the two countries is not just tactical, but conceptual. Kyiv seeks justice, while Moscow seeks leverage. Without bridging that divide, even humanitarian coordination is doomed to stall.

While the........

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