The presidents discussed holding a third round of negotiations between Moscow and Kiev during a phone conversation
Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke to his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, by phone. The leaders discussed the Ukrainian conflict, as well as the recent escalation in Syria, according to a statement published by the Kremlin on Friday.
According to the statement, Putin and Erdogan touched on the possibility of holding a third round of Russia-Ukraine negotiations in Istanbul. The sides met for two rounds of direct talks in Türkiye earlier this year, rebooting discussions that Kiev had unilaterally abandoned in 2022 to pursue military victory with Western assistance. At their most recent meeting in June, the negotiators exchanged draft proposals outlining visions for a potential peace deal and agreed on further prisoner exchanges. Moscow has since confirmed its readiness to continue the talks.
Some 6,000 bodies have been delivered to Kiev since the previous round of direct Russia-Ukraine negotiations, and Moscow is ready to return nearly 3,000 more, Putin said in late June. “But it’s now up to the Ukrainian side to accept the remains of their fallen soldiers,” he added. “We agreed that, once this stage is completed, we would hold a third round of negotiations. Overall, we’re ready – we just need to agree on a time and place.”
During the conversation, Putin “reaffirmed his principled stance in favor of seeking a political and diplomatic settlement” to the Ukrainian conflict and thanked Erdogan for his willingness to facilitate direct negotiations, as quoted by Kremlin. According to Erdogan’s administration, the Turkish president stressed that his country will continue to host talks in Istanbul “once suitable dates are determined for the parties.”
The presidents also discussed the violent clashes between government forces and the Druze ethnic minority that have been ongoing in the Syrian city of Sweida for several days. The Israeli military has conducted airstrikes on Southern Syria and Damascus, allegedly in a bid to “protect” the Druze community.
Both Putin and Erdogan expressed concern over the escalation and “stressed the importance of stabilizing the situation through dialogue as soon as possible,” according to the Kremlin. Erdogan also pointed out that, by conducting the airstrikes, Israel was “violating Syria’s sovereignty.”
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