President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin will discuss the gas hub, the war in Ukraine and the Black Sea grain exports during the upcoming meeting in Ankara, Türkiye's top diplomat said on Tuesday.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan did not give a date for the trip, which would mark Putin's first trip to a NATO member state since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. But multiple reports have been suggesting he would visit Türkiye on Feb. 12.
Ankara has sought to persuade Russia to return to the Black Sea Grain Initiative – brokered by Türkiye and the United Nations – that ensured the safe export of Ukrainian grain during the war via the Black Sea. Russia withdrew from the accord in July 2023 and has said it was not interested in reviving it.
Speaking at a press conference in the Maltese capital Valletta, Fidan said Türkiye was working with Ukraine and Russia to revive the accord.
He said Ankara valued its "ongoing, regular" dialogue with Moscow on a host of issues, from energy to policy differences regarding regional conflicts in Syria, Libya and the Southern Caucasus.
"We have always stood by Ukraine's territorial integrity and will continue to stand by it, but the destructive impact of the war must end somehow too," Fidan said, pointing to the grain deal.
Days earlier, Fidan said Ankara and Moscow would weigh in on a new mechanism to allow Ukrainian grain exports through the Black Sea when their two leaders meet.
NATO member Türkiye shares a maritime border with Ukraine and Russia in the Black Sea and has aimed to maintain good ties with both amid the war. It has voiced support for Ukraine's territorial integrity, while opposing the sanctions on Russia.
Erdoğan and Putin last met in the Russian city of Sochi in September.
Separately on Tuesday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Putin plans to discuss the planned gas hub in Türkiye with officials during the trip.
Putin floated the idea of setting up a regional platform in Türkiye in 2022 as part of Russia's efforts to reroute its gas exports after a sharp fall in its shipments to Europe as a result of the Ukraine war.
The state news agency Tass also reported Türkiye intended to discuss the issue of discounts on natural gas with Russia, one of the country's top energy suppliers.
"Türkiye has always been a reliable consumer of Russian gas. The country’s authorities previously said that they were counting on more reasonable prices for it, including in light of plans to create a gas hub," the agency cited a local diplomatic source as saying.
"This issue is planned to be discussed at negotiations in preparation for the Russian President’s visit to Türkiye," the source said.
Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar earlier said Ankara was counting on a discount on Russian gas and hopes for mutual understanding on the issue.
