Kremlin spokesperson: Putin to meet Erdoğan in Ashgabat on December 12

President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin will meet his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during his visit to Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, on December 12, the Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov announced.

He confirmed the plan when speaking to journalists, responding directly to the question, Caliber.Az report per Russian media.

Peskov said that on December 12, Putin will visit Turkmenistan, where he will take part in a forum dedicated to the International Year of Peace and Trust.

“On the sidelines of this forum, the president has a whole series of bilateral meetings scheduled,” he added.

The upcoming meeting in Ashgabat continues the regular dialogue that has defined relations between the two leaders.

Their diplomatic exchanges have remained frequent in recent years, often shaped by shifting regional dynamics and parallel geopolitical pressures.

During the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Tianjin on September 1, 2025, Putin and Erdoğan held bilateral talks focused on strengthening economic ties, discussing regional issues and reaffirming cooperation amid broader geopolitical tensions.

In 2023, Putin met Erdoğan in Sochi to explore reviving the Black Sea Grain Initiative, a deal that had previously eased global food export disruptions, with Russia and Turkey coordinating on safe grain shipments from Ukraine.

The leaders have a history of restoring ties after political crises; for example, their 2016 meeting in St. Petersburg helped normalise relations following the downing of a Russian jet, with both sides agreeing to rebuild economic and diplomatic cooperation.

Putin and Erdoğan also met at key summits before and during the Russia-Ukraine war, where discussions often covered peace efforts, trade, security, and regional conflict dynamics, reflecting Ankara’s diplomatic role as a mediator.

By Jeyhun Aghazada