Photo: AA/File
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitriy Peskov has praised Russia's relations with Turkey, saying that Ankara is a "significant regional power."
Peskov, in an interview with the state broadcaster of Belarus, touched on relations with Ankara as part of the negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in İstanbul.
He called President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan a "great and strong political leader," according to a translation by Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency (AA).
"Turkey is a very significant regional power and country. Our relations with Turkey are excellent," he remarked.
He noted that there are different views on relations between the two countries and at some points the sides do not fully understand each other. "But the relationship based on mutual interests is dominant, so the two countries are developing big economic projects," he added.
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Russia's invasion of UkraineOn February 24, explosions were reported in several Ukrainian provinces, including the capital Kyiv, after Russia's President Vladimir Putin announced a 'special military operation' in the Donbas region. Tensions had started escalating late last year when Ukraine, the US and its allies accused Russia of amassing tens of thousands of troops on the border with Ukraine. They claimed Russia was preparing to invade its western neighbor, which was consistently rejected by Moscow. Defying threats of sanctions by the West, Moscow officially recognized Donetsk and Luhansk as independent states in late February, followed by the start of the invasion of Ukraine. President Vladimir Putin said the operation aims to protect people "subjected to genocide" by Kyiv and to "demilitarize and de-Nazify" Ukraine, while calling on the Ukrainian army to lay down its arms. At least 1,234 civilians have been killed in Ukraine since the start of the war, and more than 1,900 others have been injured, according to the UN estimates. More than 3.8 million Ukrainians have also fled to neighboring countries, with over 6.5 million more displaced inside the country, according to the UN refugee agency. |
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