Ukraine and Syria topped Erdogan-Putin talks in Sochi

Putin and Erdogan during their meeting in Sochi.

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in the Black Sea city of Sochi yesterday, as their talks were overshadowed by the repercussions of the war in Ukraine and the developments of the Syrian crisis.

Talks between Erdogan and Putin touched on Turkey's threat to launch new military operations in Syria to expand "safe zones" 30 kilometers deep on the border.

Putin and Erdogan's meeting comes less than three weeks after they held talks in Tehran, and also after Turkey helped broker a deal to resume grain exports from Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea, which had been disrupted by the Russian invasion.

Director of the Turkish Presidency's Communication Department, Fahrettin Altun, said that the agreement testifies to the success of Turkey's efforts, a member of NATO, as well as the direct diplomacy between the two leaders.

He continued, “The international community cannot end the war in Ukraine by ignoring Russia.

Diplomacy and peace must prevail.”

"We look forward to harnessing Turkey's relations with Russia and Ukraine to work towards a mutually acceptable solution," Altun said.

Before the Putin-Erdogan meeting, the Kremlin said yesterday that Turkey's security concerns about Syria are legitimate, and that Russia will take them into account.

But Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that it was important to avoid actions that could "threaten the territorial integrity and political unity of Syria."

 The Kremlin: Turkey's security concerns about Syria are legitimate.

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