Turkiye in close contact with Russia, Ukraine to help ease tensions: President Erdogan

By Rabia Iclal Turan and Merve Berker

ISTANBUL (AA) - Turkiye is in close contact with both Russian and Ukrainian leaders in order to help ease tensions between the two countries, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday.

Speaking to journalists on the presidential plane on his way back from the United Arab Emirates, Erdogan said he will speak to Russian President Vladimir Putin over the phone to learn about his views on a possible trilateral meeting of Turkiye, Russia, Ukraine.

“In our meeting with (Ukrainian President Volodymyr) Zelenskyy, he stated that he is open to a trilateral meeting in Istanbul or Ankara,” Erdogan added.

“We will try to follow the issue accordingly. A war bodes no good for the well-being of the region,” he stressed.

On Israeli President Isaac Herzog's upcoming visit to Turkiye in March, Erdogan said: “Such a step would be good for Turkiye-Israel relations.”

To another query, Turkiye's president said that his country “continues its positive dialogue with Saudi Arabia, and wants to take concrete steps in the coming period.”