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Russia denied on Tuesday having new contacts with Türkiye to settle the Ukraine war, one day after U.S. President Donald Trump said President Recep Tayyip Erdogan could play a role in ending the conflict.
"No, not yet," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a briefing in Moscow when asked whether new contacts between Moscow and Ankara regarding Ukraine had occurred and if another meeting in Türkiye was being discussed.
Peskov said Russian President Vladimir Putin and Erdogan could quickly arrange a phone call but noted no such plans exist. "But you know, Putin and Erdogan could very quickly agree to hold such a telephone conversation. But so far, there have been no hints of that," Peskov said.
Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Monday while returning from a Gaza peace summit in Egypt that Erdogan could help resolve the war that began in February 2022.
"He's respected by Russia. Ukraine, I can't tell you about, but he is respected by (Russian President Vladimir) Putin," Trump said, referring to Erdogan.
Peskov stated that the issue of potential long-range Tomahawk cruise missile deliveries from the United States to Ukraine should be judged following a planned meeting between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy later this week.
Peskov reaffirmed Moscow welcomed Washington and Trump's efforts to resolve the ongoing war and said Russia is ready for a peaceful resolution but noted Russia continued its military actions in Ukraine due to the lack of alternatives.
Putin has voiced concern over the United States sending Ukraine Tomahawks, arguing this would destroy U.S.-Russian ties and lead to a completely new, qualitatively new stage of escalation.
Trump said earlier this month he was close to deciding whether to send long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine, which Zelenskyy said he requested in late September.
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A Turkish diplomatic source told Russian media outlet RIA Novosti on Tuesday that Türkiye calls for a diplomatic solution to the Ukraine situation during meetings with Western partners and expects support in conducting negotiations.
"We are counting on the resumption of negotiations and raise the issue of their necessity at all meetings, including with our Western partners. Of course, we expect support for our initiatives to resume dialogue," the source said.
The source declined to comment on the West's response to Türkiye's proposals.
Türkiye has hosted key diplomatic encounters between Moscow and Kyiv since the early weeks of the Ukraine war, including three rounds of renewed peace talks in Istanbul this year. The talks resulted in major prisoner swaps and draft memoranda outlining their respective positions for a future peace deal.
The latest phone call between Putin and Erdogan took place on October 7. Erdogan said diplomatic initiatives must gain momentum to ensure the Ukraine war ends in a fair and lasting peace and that Ankara will continue its efforts for peace.
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