President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Monday discussed bilateral ties and recent developments in Ukraine with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

In the phone call, Erdoğan stressed Turkey's efforts to bring an end to the Russia-Ukraine war.

He also underlined the importance of strengthening Turkey-Germany ties and cooperation at all levels.

Turkey and Germany last month pledged to continue diplomatic efforts and jointly called for a cease-fire as soon as possible in Russia's aggression on Ukraine while emphasizing the importance of their bilateral ties and their NATO partnership.

The call came during Scholz’s visit to Turkey for talks with Erdoğan. It marked his first official trip to the country since taking office in December.

Turkey’s delicately balanced act of assuming a role as a mediator by keeping communication channels with both warring sides open provides a glimmer of hope in diplomatic efforts to find a solution and achieve peace in the Ukraine crisis. With its unique position of having friendly relations with both Russia and Ukraine, Turkey has won widespread praise for its push to end the war.

Most recently, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan reiterated his offer to host Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy for talks to secure peace between Ukraine and Russia. Erdoğan voiced hope that a possible summit between the two leaders in Istanbul could bring an end to the war. He added that Putin and Zelenskyy need to take steps regarding Donbass and Crimea.

The venue for a meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy would most likely be Turkey, Interfax Ukraine cited Ukrainian negotiator David Arakhamia as saying on Saturday.