Putin wants to end war in Ukraine, but he understands that for this he will have to return all occupied lands - Erdogan

Erdogan stated this in an interview with the American TV channel PBS after meeting with the President of the Russian Federation at the summit in Uzbekistan.

"He (Putin, — ed.) actually made me understand that he is ready to put an end to this (war, — ed.) as soon as possible. I got this impression because the situation is developing quite problematically," the Turkish president said.

According to Erdogan, Russia should not be allowed to keep part of the captured Ukrainian territories.

"When we talk about mutual agreement, we mean exactly this. If peace is established in Ukraine, then, of course, the return of the occupied land will become very important," he emphasized.

And he added that the Russian president has already "taken certain steps" and "we have taken certain steps", probably referring to the Turkish authorities.