Erdogan: "Referendums" to thwart Ukraine diplomacy

The Turkish and Ukrainian leaders discussed the latest developments in Russia's war in Ukraine during a phone call on September 28.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy that a deal on Ukraine's Zaporizhzhya nuclear plant could be reached through Turkish mediation between Kyiv and Moscow, just like the Istanbul grain deal brokered by Türkiye and the UN, Anadolu reports citing Türkiye's Communications Directorate.

Erdogan also expressed pleasure over the successful prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia last week.

The Turkish leader reiterated Ankara's readiness to take any steps to help end the Russia-Ukraine war through peaceful means, saying that referendums held in Russian-controlled Ukrainian territories would hamper such diplomatic efforts.

Ukraine's separatist regions of Donetsk and Luhansk and Russian-controlled parts of Zaporizhzhya and Kherson held referendums on joining Russia on September 23-27.

The polls have been widely condemned by the international community, with European nations and the US calling them "sham" and saying they will not be recognised.