Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia reportedly told Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the president of Turkey that he is willing to talk to Ukraine if Kyiv recognized Moscow’s “new territorial realities” as Russian, according to a statement released by the Kremlin on Thursday.
The Kremlin asserts that it has annexed the regions of Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson, despite not having complete control over them.
The Kremlin said in a statement, “Putin again confirmed Russia’s openness to serious dialogue on the condition of Kyiv authorities fulfilling the well-known and repeatedly voiced requirements of taking into account the new territorial realities.”
Erdogan’s office originally claimed that during his phone conversation with Putin, he had urged for peace negotiations.
The statement from the Kremlin added, “The Russian side emphasised the destructive role of Western states, pumping the Kyiv regime with weapons and military equipment, providing it with operational information and targets.”
Putin has already, in the past, stated that he is open to holding peace negotiations over the war in Ukraine, in accordance with Moscow’s demands.
Putin stated that Russia is “prepared to negotiate some acceptable outcomes” in an appearance with state television on Christmas Day regarding the conflict in Ukraine.
The leaders also talked about putting into effect a historic grain agreement to unlock Ukrainian grain that was mediated by the UN with assistance from Turkey.
The two reportedly addressed “the unblocking of food and fertiliser supplies from Russia” and the necessity of “the removal of all barriers to Russian exports,” according to the Kremlin.
Russia had abandoned the agreement after a drone strike on its Black Sea Fleet in October. Within a few days, it re-entered the agreement, but authorities have complained about restrictions on Russian goods.
