Moscow says Turkey has offered to mediate talks with Ukraine

By AFP Today, 5:57 pm

In this handout photo provided by the Turkish Presidency, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, left, and Russian President Vladimir Putin speak their meeting at the Rus sanatorium in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, Russia, August 5, 2022. (Turkish Presidency via AP)

Moscow believes Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will “officially” offer to mediate negotiations with Ukraine at an upcoming meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Kazakhstan, a Kremlin aide says.

“The Turks are offering their mediation. If any talks take place, then most likely they will be on their territory: in Istanbul or Ankara,” Kremlin foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov tells reporters, adding that “Erdogan will probably propose something officially.”