Russian President Vladimir Putin had a telephone call with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed.
According to the Turkish Presidency's Directorate of Communications, the leaders discussed the relations between the two countries, with the Ukraine crisis and the Black Sea Initiative in focus. The Turkish president underlined the importance of setting up a meeting between American and Russian intelligence services in order to prevent "uncontrolled" escalation in the field, the Presidency stated.
Erdogan is reported to have thanked Putin for his "constructive stance" on the grain export deal that was yesterday extended for another 120 days.