"I am in contact with Putin and Zelensky almost every week. I am making a sincere effort to stop the conflict. I believe that a just peace is possible," Erdogan said at a dinner with ambassadors accredited in Ankara.
Later in the day, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that currently "everyone appreciates Turkiye's unbiased stance” and that everyone “is jealous” that Erdogan has been communicating with both sides of the Ukrainian conflict.
The last telephone conversation between the leaders of Russia and Turkiye took place on March 25. The call addressed the steps to strengthen bilateral relations, as well as the situation around Ukraine. During the conversation, Erdogan also thanked Putin for the Russian leader's positive stance on the extension of the grain deal allowing exports of Ukrainian grain from Black Sea ports.
On March 25, Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said that Erdogan intends to hold telephone talks with Zelensky to discuss the settlement of the conflict.