Erdoğan asks Putin to declare 'unilateral' Ukraine ceasefire

Syrian regime must take concrete steps regarding the stalled process for a political solution to the ongoing civil war in the country, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan told Russian President Vladimir Putin after the defense ministers from Türkiye and Syria held a historic meeting under the mediation of Moscow.

Erdoğan and Putin held a phone conversation on Jan. 5, the Communications Directorate said in a written statement, citing bilateral relations, the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia as well as the Syrian crisis as the top issues the two men discussed.

According to the statement, Erdoğan informed Putin that the Turkish government is strengthening its energy infrastructure for the establishment of a natural gas center on its soils in line with a bilateral agreement between Ankara and Moscow. He underlined that the government is planning to accomplish the road map to this end as soon as possible and take concrete steps for its implementation.

Building a natural gas facility in Türkiye's Thrace region came to the fore after Putin proposed so during a meeting between the two presidents in 2022. The move came after the European countries significantly reduced the amount of natural gas they were supplying from Russia in reaction to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Erdoğan presses for ceasefire in Ukraine

The two presidents also discussed the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. Erdoğan recalled that negotiations between the two warring sides yielded results for the establishment of a grain corridor, exchange of prisoners and securing the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, stressing, "Calls for peace and negotiations should be endorsed by unilateral ceasefire and vision of a fair solution."

Ankara has long...