President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan told Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday that Türkiye remains ready to support efforts to establish direct contacts between Russia and Ukraine, stressing the importance of diplomacy aimed at finding a solution to the war.

Erdoğan and Putin discussed bilateral ties as well as regional and global issues during a phone call, Türkiye’s Directorate of Communications said in a statement.

During the call, Erdoğan emphasized the importance of ongoing efforts to ensure the safety of navigation in the Black Sea.

He said Türkiye was always ready to contribute to initiatives aimed at establishing direct contacts between Moscow and Kyiv and underlined the importance of solution-oriented diplomatic efforts, according to the statement.

The two leaders also discussed Türkiye-Russia relations and other regional and international developments, the directorate said, without providing further details.

Erdoğan also congratulated Putin on his birthday and on his party’s performance in Russia’s Duma elections.