President Putin Accepts Invitation To Visit Turkey, President Erdogan: We Want Russia-Ukraine Tensions To Be Resolved

President Vladimir Putin with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. (Wikimedia Commons/Kremlin.ru/The Presidential Press and Information Office)

JAKARTA - Russian President Vladimir Putin has accepted President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's invitation to visit Turkey amid Ukraine tensions, the Kremlin said Thursday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit Turkey once the COVID-19 pandemic situation and schedule allow, the Kremlin said.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevüt Cavuşoğlu said on Thursday President Putin will announce the date of his visit to Turkey in February, after he returns from the Beijing Winter Olympics.

In an interview broadcast on Wednesday, President Erdogan said Turkey was ready to host the leaders of Russia and Ukraine, to "pave the way for rebuilding peace", as tensions between the two countries showed little sign of easing.

"Turkey wants tensions between Russia and Ukraine to be resolved before they turn into a new crisis," said President Erdogan, citing Daily Sabah on January 27.

Turkey has been following developments and is in close contact with Kiev and Moscow. President Erdogan said Turkey could mediate between neighbors amid rising tensions in the region, recently announcing plans to visit Ukraine in February to help ease tensions.

Being a member of NATO, Turkey has friendly relations with Kiev and Moscow, but opposes Russia's policies in Syria and Libya, as well as the annexation of the Crimean Peninsula in 2014.

Kiev has also purchased Turkish drones for possible use against Russian-backed forces in eastern Ukraine, angering Moscow, and agreeing with Ankara to produce drones locally this year.

To note, both Russia and Ukraine are open to the idea that Turkey plays a role in easing tensions between the two countries, as proposed by Ankara in November, according to Turkish diplomatic sources.