President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Thursday spoke over the phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin ahead of the duo’s scheduled video link participation in an event in Türkiye.

Erdoğan thanked Putin for Russia’s contribution to the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant in Türkiye’s Mersin. The Presidency shared a photo of Erdoğan during the phone call, the first since the president scrapped his daily schedule amid a minor health issue on Tuesday evening.

The Directorate of Communications of the Turkish Presidency in a statement said the call addressed Türkiye-Russia relations and regional issues. "During the call, the Russia-Ukraine war and the grain agreement were also addressed. President Erdoğan stated that new initiatives can be implemented through the proposed working group. President Putin conveyed his get-well-soon wishes to President Erdoğan during the course of the call, during which developments in Syria were discussed as well," the statement read.