The President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, held a phone conversation with the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, during which they discussed issues related to ensuring maritime security in the Black Sea. According to the Turkish presidential press service, these steps could make an important contribution to peace efforts regarding Ukraine.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Initiatives for Peace and Stability
The statement notes that Ankara is closely monitoring the peace initiatives between Kyiv and Moscow and is ready to support these processes, including organizing negotiations on Turkish territory. Erdogan also emphasized the need for cooperation between Turkey and Russia in Syria, calling for joint actions to end interfaith hostility, lift sanctions, and achieve stability in the region.
“Steps to ensure maritime security in the Black Sea could contribute to efforts to establish peace with Ukraine.”
Conversation and Global Negotiations
At this time, the Russian side has not provided any comments regarding the leaders’ conversation. Meanwhile, from March 23 to 25, representatives of the United States held bilateral technical-level negotiations with the Ukrainian delegation in Riyadh.
On March 25, the White House stated that the parties agreed on safe navigation in the Black Sea and the development of a mechanism to prohibit strikes on energy facilities. The U.S. delegation also held over 12 hours of negotiations with representatives of Russia.
U.S. President Donald Trump, commenting on the outcomes of the meetings in Saudi Arabia, noted “significant progress.” The Kremlin published its statement, which mentioned agreements reached to prohibit strikes on energy facilities in Russia and Ukraine for a period of 30 days, starting from March 18, 2025. However, the Washington statement did not specify exact dates.
Furthermore, Moscow stated that ensuring maritime security in the Black Sea would only take effect after a number of sanctions against Russia are lifted. This condition was not mentioned in the Washington statement.