Erdogan not a possible mediator in Ukraine talks, Kremlin says

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will not act as a possible mediator at the negotiations seeking to resolve the Ukraine conflict, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russia’s Channel One.

 

When asked whether it is possible that the Turkish president may become a mediator during these talks, Peskov said, "No, impossible."

 

In addition, Peskov confirmed that at today’s meeting, Erdogan and President Vladimir Putin touched upon the conflict in Ukraine.

 

"Yes, [this issue] was on the table," he said.

 

The Russian and Turkish leaders held bilateral talks on the sidelines of the SCO summit. Their talks, which lasted about an hour, focused on economic cooperation, in particular, the energy sector. Another issue was Russians’ trips to Turkey, as in 2023 a record influx of tourists from Russia travelled there.

 

In addition, Putin promised Erdogan that he would definitely pay a visit to Turkey, as his visit had long been planned, but the schedules could not be coordinated. Erdogan said that he expected his counterpart to come to his country in the "shortest possible time".