Ankara: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held a phone call with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, during which they discussed bilateral relations between the two countries, in addition to regional and international developments.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, the Turkish Presidential Communications Directorate stated that President Erdogan stressed Turkey's continued efforts to ensure a just and lasting peace between Ukraine and Russia. He affirmed Turkey's support for the continuation of the talks launched in Istanbul between the delegations of the two countries.

Erdogan expressed satisfaction with the rapid implementation of the prisoner exchange agreement reached during those talks. He indicated that discussing the possibility of a ceasefire during the second round of talks, scheduled to be held in Istanbul, could pave the way for peace.

The Turkish President emphasized that the participation of both sides with strong delegations will contribute to maintaining the positive momentum of the peace process. He noted that holding direct meetings at the leader level would be a useful step toward advancing peace efforts, stressing the importance of not delaying this step.

The call between the two sides coincides with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan's visit to Ukraine, where he met with President Volodymyr Zelensky, Foreign Minister Andriy Sepah, and Chief of the Presidential Office Andriy Yermak.

Earlier, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Moscow was ready to hold a second round of negotiations with Ukraine in Istanbul next Monday. Istanbul hosted peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine on May 15 and 16, which concluded with an agreement to exchange 2,000 prisoners equally between the two countries.