Ukraine Using Turkish Drones in Donbas: Putin to Erdogan
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Kremlin says Russian President Vladimir Putin briefed Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the latest Sochi Summit and touched on Kiev using Turkish drones in Donbas.
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Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Sochi, Russia, October 22, 2019 (Reuters)
Russian President Vladimir Putin alluded to Kiev's usage of Turkish drones in the conflict zone in Donbas during a phone call with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Putin told Erdogan Ukraine was sticking to "destructive" behavior in the conflict region, Kremlin said.
The Russian President also told his counterpart Ukrainian forces were carrying out "provocative activity" and are using Turkey's Bayraktar drones in a further attempt to undermine Minsk peace accords, the Kremlin said.
The Turkish communications directorate, not providing further detail, said the country on Russia's eastern border was one of the issues addressed during the phone call.
Ukraine had bought and deployed Turkish drones in the war against Russia in the eastern Donbas region. However Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said his country could not be blamed for Ukraine's deployment of Turkish-made drones.
Additionally, the two parties discussed the Sochi Summit, which took place on November 26.
"At the Turkish president’s request, Vladimir Putin informed him about the main results of the trilateral meeting held by the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia in Sochi on November 26, which was timed to coincide with the anniversary of the Nagorno-Karabakh statement signed on November 9, 2020," the Kremlin said.
The Kremlin noted that Erdogan praised Russia's efforts, calling for further coordination with Turkey, including using the Russian-Turkish center on monitoring ceasefire and all military activities in the conflict zone.
