Russian President Vladimir Putin denounced the growing supply of Western weapons to Ukraine on Monday in a telephone conversation with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Kremlin (Russian presidency) announced.
During the conversation, Putin criticized Ukraine’s “Western patrons” who “are increasing their shipments of arms and military equipment” to kyiv, the Kremlin said in a statement quoted by the French agency AFP.
Russia has already warned the UK that the Challenger 2 tanks that London intends to send to kyiv in the coming weeks will be burned in the Ukraine.
kyiv expects to receive further commitments from Western allies for the supply of heavy military equipment on Friday at a meeting of the Ukrainian Defense Contact Group at the US airbase in Ramstein, Germany.
In conversation with Erdogan, Putin criticized Ukraine for rejecting a 36-hour truce during the recent Orthodox Christmas celebration, which he considered “an example of kyiv’s hypocritical policy,” according to the statement.
Erdogan “reiterated Turkey’s readiness to facilitate and negotiate a long-term peace between Russia and Ukraine,” according to a statement from the Turkish presidency quoted by AFP.
It is the second telephone conversation between Putin and Erdogan since the beginning of the year, after they spoke on January 5.
Erdogan, whose country is a member of NATO, has maintained dialogue with Putin, despite Turkey’s support for Ukraine in the war that Russia unleashed on February 24 last year.
In addition to having sponsored direct negotiations between the two governments in the initial phase of the conflict, Turkey unblocked an agreement, in July, that allowed the resumption of cereal exports that were blocked in Ukrainian ports by the war.
The agreement, which expires on February 19, was one of the topics of conversation today, according to the Kremlin.
“Implementation of the Istanbul package of agreements of July 22, 2022 on the export of Ukrainian grain from Black Sea ports and the unblocking of supplies of food and fertilizers from Russia has been considered,” the press service of Russia said. the Russian presidency.
“At the initiative of the Turkish side,” the two leaders also discussed the exchange of prisoners between Russia and Ukraine, “mainly wounded,” the Kremlin said.
Putin and Erdogan also confirmed their intention to “deepen the comprehensive development of cooperation” between the two countries.
Priority will be given to the energy sector, “including the supply of Russian natural gas and the creation of a regional gas center in Turkey,” Moscow said.
Issues related to the normalization of relations between Turkey and Syria were also discussed, “including in the context of Ankara’s initiative to start consultations with the participation of Russian, Turkish and Syrian representatives.”
According to the Kremlin, Putin and Erdogan “pointed to the practical importance of Russia, Turkey and Iran working together” to end the conflict in Syria.
The Syrian civil war began in 2011, pitting the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, backed by Russia and Iran, against an interim government backed by Turkey, among other belligerents, in a conflict that left hundreds of thousands dead.
Source: TSF
