3:54 p.m. ET, September 29, 2022
Turkish president urges Putin to give negotiations with Ukraine another chance
From CNN's Tim Lister, Josh Pennington and Hande Atay Alam
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin have spoken by phone, with Erdogan appealing to the Russian leader to give negotiations another chance to end the conflict, according to the Turkish presidency.
Erdogan said that in order to de-escalate tensions, "steps — particularly as regards the
incorporation of various Ukrainian areas into Russia —are expected of Moscow in a bid to facilitate the process," according the presidency.
The Turkish statement did not criticize the
annexation of the four Ukrainian regions into Russia, which is expected to be formalized on Friday in Moscow. Western governments dismiss the process as a "sham."
In an interview Wednesday, Erdogan said: "Of course Zelensky wants our support on these four regions, and he wants us to meet with Mr. Putin and discuss the issue. Let's see what happens."
Here's how Russia described the meeting: The Kremlin said Putin briefed the Turkish President on "the results of the referendums on the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics, and Kherson and Zaporizhzhia Regions on joining the Russian Federation."
According to the Kremlin, "it was stressed that the voting took place in a transparent manner, in full compliance with the norms and principles of international law."
That characterization stands in direct contrast to the
international outcry meeting the referendums, which NATO, the EU and US officials have all dismissed as illegitimate.
The Kremlin said Putin also mentioned what it called the "unprecedented sabotage" of the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2
gas pipelines.