Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit Turkey where he will meet with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on February 12, a Turkish official said today.
Putin's visit to Turkey will be the first to a NATO member since Russia launched an invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Putin's foreign travels have been restricted since March last year, when the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued a warrant against him for allegedly deporting Ukrainian children to Russia, which is considered a war crime.
Russia denied the accusation and called it scandalous, but also said it was legally invalid in any case because Russia is not a member of the ICC.
Turkey is also not a member of the ICC, so Putin can travel to Turkey without fear of arrest.
Since the beginning of the war, Turkey has been trying to maintain good relations with Moscow, but also with Kiev. It provided military support to Ukraine and expressed support for its territorial integrity, but it is also fundamentally opposed to sanctions against Russia, Hina agency reports.
Ankara is trying to convince Russia to return to the so-called Black Sea Grains Initiative after Moscow withdrew from it last July, ending a year of protected exports from Ukrainian ports due to the war. Erdogan said that alternatives to that agreement have not proven to be a long-term solution.
Separately, Erdogan will travel to Egypt on February 14, officials said, after the two countries improved their diplomatic ties with the appointment of an ambassador last year after decades of tension.
Bonus video:
