Putin Praises Turkiye’s Role in Ukraine Talks

Russian President Vladimir Putin thanked Turkish President RecepTayyip Erdogan for Turkiye’s role in efforts to resolve the war in Ukraine during a meeting at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in China. Putin noted that three rounds of direct Russia-Ukraine talks have taken place in Istanbul since May, helping to address humanitarian issues.

He said Turkiye’s contribution to political and diplomatic efforts would remain important. The Russian leader also praised cooperation with Ankara in regional affairs, trade and energy. Bilateral trade rose 6.6% last year and nearly 3% in the first half of this year. Russia continues gas exports to Turkiye via the Blue Stream and Turkish Stream pipelines, while Rosatom is building Turkiye’s first nuclear power plant at Akkuyu.