The war in the Middle East must not get in the way of negotiations to end the conflict in Ukraine, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has told President Volodymyr Zelensky in a phone call, AFP reports.

“The conflict in Iran must not obstruct the peace efforts for Ukraine,” the Turkish leader has said, according to a statement from his office.

“It would be beneficial to continue the negotiations without delay and to staunch Ukraine’s wounds,” Erdogan has been quoted as saying.

Zelensky, on X, said that in the call, Erdogan offered to have Turkiye “host the next round of talks in a trilateral format”, with Ukrainian, Russian and US delegations.

“We appreciate this initiative and hope it can produce results,” the Ukrainian leader said.