Erdoğan offers ‘unilateral ceasefire’ to Putin in phone call

Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Turkey’s Recep Erdoğan have held negotiations over the phone. The Turkish president stated that “peace efforts in the Russia-Ukraine war should be supported by a unilateral ceasefire and a vision for a fair solution”, Reuters reports.

Erdoğan also reminded Putin about the positive results of Turkey’s initiatives to promote dialogue between Russia and Ukraine: the agreement on the so-called “grain corridor”, a large-scale exchange of prisoners, and the formation of a security zone around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Anadolu says.

The Kremlin also published a press release on the matter. As per Russia’s leadership, Moscow stressed “the destructive role of Western states which pump up the Kyiv regime with weapons and military equipment and provide it with operational information and target designation”.

Erdoğan, the Kremlin says, has shown readiness for Turkish mediation for a political settlement of the conflict. Vladimir Putin “reaffirmed Russia’s openness to a serious dialogue, provided that the Kyiv authorities comply with the well-known and repeatedly voiced demands and take into account new territorial realities”, reads the statement.