Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, did not discuss the Ukraine war during a bilateral meeting in Kazakhstan on October 13, the Kremlin said.
Before the meeting, Erdogan indicated in remarks at a regional summit in the Kazakh capital, Astana, that he was ready to mediate in the conflict, saying diplomacy could offer a chance for "a fair peace" that would stop the bloodshed.
"The topic of a Russian-Ukrainian settlement was not discussed," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted as saying by RIA.
There was no immediate comment from the Turkish presidency.
NATO member Turkey has stayed neutral throughout the conflict in Ukraine, refraining from joining Western sanctions on Russia and maintaining good relations with both Kyiv and Moscow.
It has twice hosted peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv, but the last meeting was in March and produced no results.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, speaking during an online Q&A session with members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on October 13, reiterated his stance that there can be no talks with Putin, saying diplomacy with leaders who do not respect international law was impossible.
On October 12, Zelenskiy told G7 leaders there can be no dialogue with the Russian leader, who he said only believes in terror and "has no future.
Turkey has hosted other negotiations with Russia since the start of the war. It was part of a deal struck in July to allow grain shipments from Ukraine's Black Sea ports.
Ankara and the United Nations brokered the deal with Moscow and Kyiv that designated three ports for Ukraine to send grain supplies to poorer countries through a Russian blockade.
Turkey also played a key role in one of the largest prisoner swaps between Russia and Ukraine. Announced on September 21, the deal involved the release of 215 Ukrainian soldiers for dozens of Russian prisoners and a pro-Moscow politician, RFE/RL reports.
