Sources from both countries announced that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin held a phone call on Sunday. The Turkish Presidency’s Directorate of Communications said the two leaders discussed bilateral relations and regional and global issues, while the Kremlin said they talked about trade and economic cooperation along with a number of international topics.

The directorate said Erdoğan told Putin that they aimed to expand cooperation in many areas, primarily expanding bilateral trade volume. Erdoğan also affirmed that his country was working to end regional tensions and would remain steadfast in contributing to peace processes.

The two men last met in person last month in Tatarstan’s Kazan during a BRICS summit. Türkiye and Russia maintain close ties, though Putin long delayed a planned visit to Türkiye. The leaders have been in touch at the height of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, which appears to be entering a new stage with the escalated Western support for Ukraine and Putin’s approval of Russia’s new nuclear doctrine.