Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed Thursday that Russia is open to dialogue with Ukraine, provided that Kyiv accepts "the new realities on the ground."
During a phone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan , who called for a truce in Ukraine, Putin reiterated that "Russia is open to serious dialogue, provided that the authorities in Kiev comply with the well-known and repeatedly expressed demands and take into account the new realities on the ground," according to a statement issued. About the Kremlin.
Statement of the Turkish Presidency
The Turkish presidency said on Thursday that President Erdogan told his Russian counterpart in a phone call that peace efforts in the Russian-Ukrainian war should be supported by a unilateral ceasefire and a "vision of a just solution."
The Turkish presidency added in a statement to the text of the call, "President Erdogan said that calls for peace and negotiation must be supported by a unilateral ceasefire and a vision of a just peace," and indicated that Erdogan reminded Putin of the positive results of the grain corridor agreement .
The statement said that the two leaders also discussed the Syrian file, and that Erdogan had told Putin the need to take concrete steps to clear the Syrian border area of Kurdish militants .
"President Erdogan stressed the need to take concrete steps now to cleanse the Turkish border areas of terrorist organizations, especially from Tal Rifaat and Manbij," the statement added, referring to the PKK and the People's Protection Units.
Erdogan and Putin have spoken several times since the start of the Russian military operation in Ukraine in February, and Turkey also played the role of mediator with the United Nations to conclude an agreement allowing the export of grain from Ukraine's ports on the Black Sea .