Erdoğan, Putin discuss Ukrainian crisis

ANKARA

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, spoke over the phone on Jan. 16 and discussed the grain deal, as well as Türkiye’s mediation efforts.

Erdoğan and Putin discussed the “grain corridor and ammonia export issues along with concrete steps to produce flour in Türkiye from the Russian grain and sending them to the African countries in need,” said a statement by the Turkish presidency.

Erdoğan reiterated that Türkiye was “ready to undertake the task of facilitating and mediating for the establishment of a lasting peace between Russia and Ukraine,” the statement said.

The two leaders confirmed cooperation, Kremlin said, adding that priorities including Russian gas supplies and the creation of a regional gas hub in Türkiye were among the agenda of the talks

“The exchange of views on the situation around Ukraine continued,” the Kremlin said in its readout of the call.

“Vladimir Putin drew attention to the destructive line of the Kiev regime, which relies on the intensification of hostilities with the support of Western sponsors, increasing the volume of transferred weapons and military equipment,” Kremlin said.

“Among the priorities is cooperation in the energy sector, including the supply of Russian natural gas and the creation of a regional gas hub in Türkiye,” said the statement. They also discussed the normalization of Turkish-Syrian relations, it noted.

The phone talk came after Ankara proposed Moscow and Kiev establishment of a humanitarian corridor for the wounded soldiers as well as civilians strapped on the battlefield through the Turkish mediation.

Türkiye’s Ombudsman Institution received a request from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) three months ago to act as a mediator for unaccompanied children in the war between Russia and Ukraine.

Ukrainian Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets and Russian Ombudsman Tatyana Moskalkova met on the sidelines of the International Ombudsman Conference in Ankara last week and held eight rounds of meetings, daily Hürriyet reported on Jan. 16.

The parties agreed on a three-stage plan, while Ukraine presented a swap list for 800 people and Russia for 200, the daily reported.

Russia and Ukraine signed separate agreements on July 22 for a Black Sea corridor that cleared the way for the export of grain out of three Ukrainian ports, as well as for shipments of Russian grain and fertilizer.

Erdoğan earlier said Russia and Türkiye agreed on delivering grain - after processed into flour in Türkiye - and fertilizers to the least developed countries.