Kremlin Confirms Putin To Visit Turkey, But No Date Yet

Presidential adviser Yuri Ushakov has confirmed that President Vladimir Putin intends to take up the invitation of his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to visit in the near future, although no date has been confirmed yet. This would be Putin's first visit to a NATO member since his launching of the invasion of Ukraine in Feb 2022.

• Turkey continues to offer itself as a conduit for talks between Russia and Ukraine, although at present this does not extend beyond the at-risk Black Sea Grain Initiative.
• Turkey does not face the same legal difficulties in Putin visiting as has been the case for South Africa re: the upcoming BRICS summit, as Ankara is not a signatory to the Rome Statute. This means it is not obliged to abide by the ICC international arrest warrant issued against Putin.
• The confirmation of an eventual Putin visit comes as another group seeks to mediate in the conflict. A group of African leaders including South African President Cyril Ramaphosa are currently in Kyiv before heading to Moscow in an effort to promote their 'Road to Peace' mission (see: https://marketnews.com/african-road-to-peace-missi...)