Kremlin thanks Turkey for Its role in Ukrainian settlement

Moscow is grateful to Ankara for its willingness to provide a platform to continue the Ukraine settlement process, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

Answering a question about whether Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had discussed the resumption of talks in the Istanbul format during their phone call the previous day, he said that Turkey is offering its services as before.

"We are grateful to our Turkish friends for this. [We] are willing to provide all conditions to  continue the negotiation process," Dmitry Peskov said.

The Russian leader's spokesman clarified that Ankara has its own interests in this area, but they largely align with Russia's aspirations.

He noted that the Istanbul talks were suspended not through the fault or at the desire of Moscow, placing the responsibility for their breakdown on Kiev.

"But now you see the situation is slightly different. Work is underway between the Ukrainians and the Americans based on Trump's project. We will see how everything develops further," Dmitry Peskov said.