Türkiye working to organize Russia-Ukraine meeting in Istanbul, president says

Ankara is working to make sure that Russia and Ukraine hold talks in Istanbul, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a phone call with his Bulgarian counterpart Rumen Radev, Report informs via TASS.

"President Tayyip Erdogan of Türkiye has held a telephone conversation with President Rumen Radev of Bulgaria. Our president stated that efforts were underway to end the war between Ukraine and Russia as Bulgaria was seen pursuing a careful policy on the issue and Türkiye was working to bring the parties together in Istanbul to ensure peace in the region," Erdogan’s office said in a statement.

The two presidents also discussed "bilateral relations between Türkiye and Bulgaria, as well as regional and global issues." "Erdogan stated that Türkiye-Bulgaria relations continued to develop and efforts were made to boost defense and energy cooperation," the statement added.