Putin receives gratitude from Erdogan during talks about war in Ukraine

Anadolu reports that Erdogan had a telephone conversation with Putin on March 25. The Turkish presidential communications department said that the leaders discussed the latest developments around Russia's war against Ukraine.

"During the talks, President Erdogan thanked President Putin for his positive attitude toward the continuation of the Black Sea grain initiative," the administration said.

The Turkish president also emphasised that Ankara is in favour of a negotiated cessation of hostilities between Russia and Ukraine as soon as possible.

• On March 16, Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he was persuading Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to start negotiations.