Ukraine must come to terms with loss of territories if it wants dialogue with russia — putin to Erdogan

On January 5, russian dictator vladimir putin told Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a telephone conversation that Kyiv should take into account "new territorial realities," and then russia would be open to dialogue regarding Ukraine.

This was announced in the kremlin following the conversation between Erdogan and putin, EP writes.

It was noted that the russian leader spoke about the "destructive role of the West," which is "pumping up Ukraine with weapons."

At the same time, the dictator apparently once again "confirmed russia's openness to a serious dialogue." However, there are conditions that the authorities in Kyiv will fulfill the "known demands" that have been repeatedly voiced and take into account "new territorial realities."

In addition, according to the kremlin, putin and Erdogan discussed the Istanbul agreements on the export of Ukrainian grain and the supply of food and fertilizers from russia.

"The need for a conscientious comprehensive approach, which involves the elimination of all barriers to russian exports, was emphasized," the kremlin said in a statement.

Erdogan's press office said the Turkish president had offered putin to back up calls for peace and talks with a unilateral declaration of a ceasefire and a "vision of a just solution."

It will be recalled that on Tuesday, the advisor to the Turkish president, İbrahim Kalın, announced Erdogan's telephone conversations with the presidents of Ukraine and russia.

Whether the conversation took place with Volodymyr Zelensky has not been reported yet.