Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held a phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, during which the two leaders discussed bilateral relations as well as key regional and global developments.

According to a statement from the Turkish Presidency, President Erdoğan emphasized the critical role of Türkiye-Russia cooperation in addressing regional challenges. Highlighting Ankara's commitment to peace, Erdoğan reiterated Türkiye’s readiness to support efforts to end the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine — including hosting peace negotiations aimed at achieving a lasting and honorable resolution.

President Erdoğan also noted that steps taken in good faith to ensure safe commercial navigation in the Black Sea would contribute positively to the peace process. He reaffirmed Türkiye’s ongoing efforts to prevent the Black Sea from becoming a zone of conflict.

Turning to the situation in Syria, Erdoğan underscored the importance of close collaboration between Türkiye and Russia to promote peace and stability in the war-torn country. Stressing Syria’s territorial integrity, the Turkish leader said joint efforts are needed to counter attempts to fragment the nation along ethnic and sectarian lines. He also called for the lifting of international sanctions on Syria.

President Erdoğan asserted that Syria’s national resources should be controlled by the central government in Damascus. He added that Türkiye supports integrating the "Syrian Democratic Forces" into the official Syrian state structure, and stressed that eliminating all terrorist threats across Syrian territory is vital for the country’s long-term stability. (ILKHA)