Russia's President Vladimir Putin will travel to Türkiye upon the invitation of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, his adviser said Thursday.
"The Turkish president has confirmed his invitation to our president to visit Türkiye," Putin's adviser Yuri Ushakov said on Thursday, the Interfax news agency reported.
The plans for the trip are underway, he added, though a fixed date has not yet been set.
Türkiye has been among the few nations that have maintained relations with both Russia and Ukraine since Moscow's invasion of its southern neighbor.
While it has criticized Russia's offensive, Ankara is trying to balance its close ties and has positioned itself as a neutral party attempting to mediate between the warring sides.
Moreover, Türkiye has been hesitant to participate in sanctions against Russia ever since it invaded neighboring Ukraine last February.
Previous reports claimed that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy would also visit Türkiye to meet with Erdoğan.
Türkiye and the U.N. brokered the landmark Black Sea Grain Initiative in Istanbul last July to free up exports of millions of tons of grain from Ukraine's Black Sea ports that were blocked after Russia launched its invasion on Feb. 24.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has meanwhile issued a warrant for Putin's arrest for ordering the unprovoked war on Ukraine.
The Russian leader's participation in the annual BRICS summit of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa in Johannesburg this summer is thus considered unlikely. South Africa recognizes the jurisdiction of the ICC and would be compelled to arrest Putin upon arrival.
