A meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan may take place in Russia, Turkey’s NTV television reported, citing sources.
“Erdogan’s coming visit to Russia would play a decisive role in reaching an agreement [to revive the grain deal],” the TV channel quoted an official as saying.
Meanwhile, a source in Ankara told TASS on Monday that Putin coming to Turkey was “improbable.” The press service of the Turkish presidential office told TASS earlier that so far nothing concrete could be said about a potential in-person meeting between Erdogan and Putin and that the administration would “inform the media as soon as details are available.”
Erdogan himself said in late July that he hoped to meet Putin in August in Turkey. He later reiterated that such plans were still in the works. A Haber also reported on the possibility of such a meeting on August 12, specifying that the talks could take place before the end of August. The TV channel said that Erdogan was waiting for Putin in Turkey, but that there was also an option for the Turkish leader to travel to Russia.
On August 16, the Shot Telegram channel reported, citing sources, that Putin and Erdogan could meet on August 31, without specifying the location of potential talks.
On August 3, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the venue and exact date of a meeting between the two presidents would be coordinated through diplomatic channels. A day earlier, Peskov said that “the place of the meeting will be negotiated, it is not necessarily Turkey.” Putin has said that now is the time for him to be in the country, therefore it is difficult for him to make any visits, Peskov added.
