U.S. President Donald Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine during a phone call on May 5, Trump announced via social media.
Turkey has positioned itself as a potential mediator in the war between Russia and Ukraine, which Trump has promised to end by brokering a peace deal.
The leaders' latest conversation was "very good and productive," Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
The leaders discussed the war in Ukraine, among other topics, and extended invitations to visit each other's respective nations. Trump described his relationship with Erdogan during his first term as "excellent."
"In any event, I look forward to working with President Erdogan on getting the ridiculous, but deadly, war between Russia and Ukraine ended — now!" Trump wrote.
Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Turkey has maintained diplomatic and economic ties with both nations while supporting Ukraine's sovereignty. Leveraging its strategic position and influence in the Black Sea region, Turkey has facilitated negotiations, grain exports, and expressed willingness to participate in ceasefire monitoring.
Turkey has also offered to host peace talks between Ukraine and Russia.
In April, U.S. representatives met with Russian delegates for talks in Istanbul, though Ukraine was reportedly not on the agenda for those discussions.
Trump on May 5 also told reporters that the U.S. was "in a good position" to achieve a peace negotiation and that both Russia and Ukraine were ready to strike a deal. Trump claimed that Russian President Vladimir Putin's proposed three-day truce was a sign of Moscow's readiness to move peace negotiations forward.
Daria Shulzhenko
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