Presidents of Russia and Turkey Vladimir Putin and Recep Erdogan discussed the situation in Ukraine and Syria by phone.
According to the Kremlin press service, in particular, at the initiative of the Turkish side and taking into account the recent contacts in Ankara of the Russian and Ukrainian human rights commissioners, the issue of the exchange of prisoners, especially the wounded was touched upon. Vladimir Putin drew attention to the destructive policy of the Kyiv regime, which has staked on the intensification of hostilities with the support of Western sponsors, increasing the volume of transferred weapons and military equipment. An example of the hypocritical policy of the Ukrainian Government was its rejection of the proposal for a ceasefire during Orthodox Christmas.
The parties considered the implementation of the "package" Istanbul agreements of July 22, 2022 on the export of Ukrainian grain from the Black Sea ports and the unblocking of food and fertilizer supplies from Russia, the statement said.
They also discussed normalization of Turkish-Syrian relations, including in the context of Ankara's initiative to launch consultations involving Russian, Turkish and Syrian representatives. They also noted the practical importance of joint work of Russia, Turkey and Iran within the framework of the Astana process of assistance to the Syrian settlement.
The leaders of the two countries reaffirmed their commitment to further comprehensive development of Russian-Turkish cooperation. 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 Turkey.
