See Putin to Erdogan: ‘Ukraine uses Turkish drones in conflict zone’

LAST UPDATE: 19.37

Ukraine uses Turkish-made Bayraktar drones in the conflict zone in the Donbas region, Putin to Erdogan.

According to the Kremlin, the Russian president told his Turkish counterpart during a telephone conversation on Friday that Kiev was insisting on “destructive behavior”.

As the Kremlin points out, “the Russian president has drawn attention to the fact that Kiev continues the destructive line, which aims to undermine the Minsk agreements.”

It is also stressed that this destructive line is confirmed by the provocative activity of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the conflict zone, which includes the use of offensive Bayraktar drones. “It was stressed that Kiev needs to abandon any attempt to use force in Donbas,” the statement said.

Putin and Erdogan also discussed issues of cooperation in the fields of energy and agriculture.

According to the Kremlin, the communication between the two presidents was initiated by Ankara. At the end of the conversation, Putin and Erdogan agreed on further personal contacts.

On Wednesday, Russian President Dmitry Peshkov’s spokesman had ruled out a telephone conversation between the two leaders on December 3, during which the issue of Ukraine could be discussed. Commenting on Erdogan’s statements that Turkey is ready to mediate in the settlement of relations between Russia and Ukraine, Peshkov had pointed out that this depends on how such mediation will be expressed.

A statement from the Turkish Presidency, quoted by Turkish television network TRT, quoted by Ankara-based TASS news agency as saying that the two leaders discussed the situation in Syria, Libya and Ukraine during a telephone conversation. as well as developments between Azerbaijan and Armenia, as well as issues related to the improvement of Turkish-Russian relations.