Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday pressed his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to declare a “unilateral” ceasefire in Ukraine.
“President Erdogan said that the demand for peace and negotiations must be supported by a unilateral ceasefire and a vision for a just solution,” Erdogan told Putin in a phone call.
Erdogan is due to follow up the talks with a separate conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday.
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peace talks
Turkish leaders have used their good relations with Moscow and Kyiv to try and mediate an end to the war.
Turkey hosted the first two rounds of peace talks and helped broker a UN-backed deal to restore Ukraine’s grain deliveries across the Black Sea.
Erdogan has also repeatedly tried to bring Putin and Zelensky to Turkey for a peace summit.
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Erdogan’s call for a truce follows a proposal earlier Thursday by Russian spiritual leader Patriarch Kirill for an Orthodox Christmas truce this week.
Erdogan has managed to maintain good relations with Putin by refusing to join Western sanctions against Russia and increasing bilateral trade during the war.
Turkish gas hub
The two leaders now have tentative plans to set up a natural gas hub in Turkey that could offer Russia an alternative way to supply Europe with fuel.
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Erdogan’s office said that Turkey “has strengthened and will continue to strengthen the infrastructure” of the proposed hub.
The two leaders hope to “implement (the project) as soon as possible”, Erdogan’s office said.