An evocation of the peace process which nevertheless seems far away.
Russia is open to a dialogue with Ukraine provided that the latter accepts the "new territorial realities" born of the Russian offensive, President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday.
In a telephone conversation with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who called for a truce in Ukraine, Vladimir Putin "repeated that Russia is open to a serious dialogue - provided that the authorities in kyiv comply with the demands well known and repeatedly expressed and take into account new territorial realities,” according to a statement from the Kremlin.
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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, for his part, urged his Russian counterpart to apply a “unilateral ceasefire” in Ukraine, reported the Turkish presidency.
"Calls for peace and negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv should be supported by a unilateral ceasefire," Turkey's head of state told Vladimir Putin in the same phone call, according to a statement released. by the Turkish Presidency.
An upcoming Zelensky-Erdogan interview
Erdogan, who is also due to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday, has followed a line since the start of the conflict that has allowed him to maintain good relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, while supplying arms to kyiv.
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A member of NATO, Turkey has not associated itself with the sanctions against Russia and is trying to maintain a position of mediator between kyiv and Moscow.
Ankara thus played a key role in an exchange of prisoners in September between Russia and Ukraine and in the conclusion in July, under the aegis of the UN, of an agreement allowing the export of Ukrainian cereals via the Black Sea and the Bosphorus.