Ukraine must accept loss of territories for dialogue, Putin tells Erdoğan

On Thursday, 5 January, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a telephone conversation with Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President of Turkey, that Russia is open to dialogue over Ukraine, but Kyiv must take into account "new territorial realities".

Source: The Kremlin, following the conversation between Erdoğan and Putin, European Pravda reports.

The Kremlin noted that Putin spoke about the "destructive role of the West", which is "pumping Ukraine with weapons".

At the same time, Vladimir Putin allegedly "reaffirmed Russia's openness to a serious dialogue", provided that the Kyiv authorities fulfil the well-known and repeatedly voiced requirements and consider "the new territorial realities".

Apart from that, according to the Kremlin, Putin and Erdoğan discussed the Istanbul agreements on the export of Ukrainian grain and the supply of food and fertilisers from Russia.

"The need for a conscientious comprehensive approach, which involves the removal of all barriers to Russian exports, was emphasised," the statement of the Kremlin reads.

Erdoğan's press office said the Turkish president had offered Putin to back up calls for peace and talks with a unilateral ceasefire announcement and a "vision of a just solution".

Background: On Tuesday, 3 January, İbrahim Kalın, Turkish presidential advisor, announced Erdoğan's telephone conversations with the presidents of Ukraine and Russia.

Whether the conversation with Volodymyr Zelenskyy took place has not been reported yet.

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