Erdogan urges Putin to avoid escalation in Ukraine

Presidents of Türkiye and Russia, Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Vladimir Putin, discussed the settlement of the Ukraine crisis in a phone call today, Report informs via Russian media.

Erdogan urged his Russian counterpart to avoid steps that could escalate the conflict.

"President Erdogan urged to avoid steps in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict that could lead to its escalation," the Turkish Presidency said in a statement.

In addition, the Turkish leader thanked Putin for the Be-200ChS amphibious firefighting aircraft sent to fight forest fires in Türkiye, which engulfed a number of provinces, including the resorts of Antalya and Mugla.