Diplomatic efforts to end the Ukraine war must be revived, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan told his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in a phone call on Friday.

Erdoğan and Putin spoke about the latest developments regarding the deal, bilateral issues and regional matters, the Presidency's Directorate of Communications said in a statement.

Erdoğan told Putin that the meeting between American and Russian intelligence services was important to prevent "uncontrolled" escalation in the field.

He said such initiatives could play a "key role" in preventing unrestrained escalation in the region, referring to Tuesday's missile incident in Poland.

On the Ukraine conflict, the Turkish leader told Putin that prolonging the war only increases the risks and called for diplomatic efforts to be revived.

He also thanked Putin for his "constructive stance" on the extension of the Black Sea grain deal.

On Thursday, days before its scheduled expiration, the landmark grain deal signed in Istanbul in July by Türkiye, the United Nations, Russia and Ukraine was extended for another 120 days, beginning Nov. 19.

In their discussions, Erdoğan also welcomed Putin's proposal to set up a natural gas hub in Türkiye, the statement said.

He said "technical and legal teams" will evaluate the proposal at the earliest to move the plan forward, it added.

The Turkish president also thanked Putin for his condolences over the recent terrorist attack in Istanbul that killed six people.

Türkiye aims to bring the opposing sides in the Ukraine war together frequently to maintain dialogue and prevent an escalation into a more destructive war, Erdoğan also said Thursday.

Touching upon the recent meeting of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and Russian Foreign Intelligence Service heads in the Turkish capital Ankara, Erdoğan told Turkish press members on his way back from the G-20 summit in Indonesia that neither the United States nor Russia planned to use nuclear weapons.

"Let me say this, according to the information I received from my intelligence chief, neither of the sides will use nuclear weapons as of now," he said.

Erdoğan said he wanted to keep both sides in close dialogue. "Of course, we want to keep them in close contact and make them come together often," he said. "God forbid, (the use of nuclear weapons) could lead to a new world war. Let's not let that happen," he added.

U.S. and Russian intelligence chiefs held a rare face-to-face meeting in Ankara on Monday on Moscow's nuclear threats in Ukraine and Americans held by the Kremlin, the White House said.

In what appeared to be the highest-level direct talks between officials of the two countries since Russia invaded Ukraine in February, CIA Director William Burns met with Sergei Naryshkin, head of Russia's SVR foreign intelligence service.

Türkiye on Monday officially confirmed that a meeting between the CIA and Russian Foreign Intelligence Service heads was held in the Turkish capital Ankara, a remarkable meeting given the antipathy between Washington and Moscow over the ongoing Ukraine war.

Türkiye has been internationally praised for its policy of balance toward Russia amid the Ukraine war, allowing it to broker such breakthroughs as this summer's Black Sea grain corridor deal and a prisoner transfer.

Recent statements by Russian and Ukrainian leaders have suggested a possible willingness to engage in talks, though Kyiv's preconditions seem to rule them out for now.

Türkiye has long pushed for a cease-fire and a negotiated settlement to the conflict, which began in late February.