Turkey's president to 'most probably' have meeting with Putin this week

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday said that he will “most probably” have a meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin this week, reports Anadolu Agency.

Turkey’s capital Ankara or Istanbul “would be the solution point for steps to be taken” to ease tensions in eastern Ukraine, Erdogan told reporters after offering Eid prayers in Istanbul.

After two months after the beginning of Moscow’s war on Ukraine, Russian troops intensified their attacks in eastern part of the war-ravaged country.

Ankara, which has friendly ties with both sides, is actively involved in diplomatic efforts for a cease-fire between Ukraine and Russia. It hosted delegation level talks in Istanbul last month, and has reiterated the proposal for a leaders’ summit between Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

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Talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Istanbul on March 29 were seen as a breakthrough in the push to halt the hostilities that began on February 24.

Earlier in March, Turkey also brought together the Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers in its southern resort city of Antalya, the first meeting of senior government officials from the two sides since the start of the war, now over two months old.

Turkish officials have also been engaging with their counterparts on the issue of humanitarian corridors in Ukraine to evacuate stranded civilians and wounded persons.