Russia's President Vladimir Putin plans to speak with Türkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Wednesday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday.
The two leaders have had several phone calls since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine last February. Türkiye acted as a mediator alongside the United Nations in 2022 to set up a deal allowing grain exports from Ukrainian ports.
Türkiye, the U.N., Russia and Ukraine signed an agreement in Istanbul on July 22 to resume grain exports from three Ukrainian Black Sea ports which were paused after the start of the Russia-Ukraine war in February.
President Erdoğan said Türkiye continues its talks with Russia and Ukraine to end their ongoing war. Türkiye enabled a prisoner swap between the warring countries and is one of the most active countries working to ensure a permanent cease-fire between Ukraine and Russia. Its delicately balanced act of assuming a role as a mediator by keeping communication channels with both warring sides open provides a glimmer of hope in diplomatic efforts to find a solution and achieve peace in the Ukraine crisis. With its unique position of having friendly relations with both Russia and Ukraine, Türkiye has won widespread praise for its push to end the war.
Since the beginning of the conflict, Ankara has offered to mediate between the two sides and host peace talks, underlining its support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. While Ankara has opposed international sanctions designed to isolate Moscow, it also closed its straits to prevent some Russian vessels from crossing through them.
