Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Monday discussed developments following the Istanbul peace talks that brought Moscow and Kyiv together for the second time since the start of the war to find a solution.
Fidan is on a two-day visit to Moscow, where a Turkish Foreign Ministry source said he met Putin on Monday and also Russia's lead negotiator, Vladimir Medinsky. Fidan is expected to meet his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, on Tuesday.
While no timetable or location has been agreed for any future talks between Russia and Ukraine, NATO ally Türkiye has frequently said it could host them.
Delegates from Moscow and Kyiv met in Istanbul earlier this month for the first time since March 2022, a month after Russia invaded its neighbour. No cease-fire was agreed, but the sides agreed to trade 1,000 prisoners of war and deliver, in writing, their conditions for a possible cease-fire.
In their meeting, Putin and Fidan discussed "the initiatives carried out recently to end the war between Ukraine and Russia, (and) developments following the negotiations held in Istanbul," the Turkish source said.
Bilateral economic and energy issues were discussed as well, the source added.
Russia said on Monday that the main topic of the talks would be bilateral relations, but that Ukraine would also be discussed.
Ahead of the meeting, the Turkish source had said Fidan would reiterate Ankara's offer to host the sides and continue playing a "facilitator" role.
Fidan is also expected to travel to Kyiv later this week to meet Ukrainian officials and follow up on the Istanbul talks.
Russian sources have said they viewed Türkiye, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Oman as potentially suitable venues for talks.
NATO member Türkiye is one of the most active countries working to ensure a permanent cease-fire between Ukraine and Russia. Its 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, Türkiye has won widespread praise for its push to end the war.
While Ankara has opposed international sanctions designed to isolate Moscow, it also closed its straits to prevent some Russian vessels from crossing through them.
Representatives for Moscow and Kyiv discussed an outline to end the war previously in Istanbul in March 2022.
But those talks broke down following Russia's retreat from the Kyiv suburb of Bucha, where hundreds of civilians were found dead following a monthlong occupation by Russian forces.
Contact between the warring sides has been limited since and mainly dedicated to humanitarian issues such as prisoner exchanges and the repatriation of soldiers' remains.
Ankara was also a key player in the now-on-hold deal that allowed for the safe passage of Ukrainian grain shipments via the Black Sea despite the blockade of its ports after Moscow launched its invasion in late February 2022.
