Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan will meet in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan on September 1 to discuss the war in Ukraine, t...

Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan will meet in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan on September 1 to discuss the war in Ukraine, the Black Sea situation, and deeper economic ties between Russia and Turkey. The meeting was confirmed Friday by Yuri Ushakov, Putin's foreign policy adviser. Ushakov told reporters there are "many issues to discuss," specifically naming the Black Sea and the broader Ukraine question as central agenda items. The two leaders are also expected to explore ways to expand Russia-Turkey trade, which has grown significantly since Western sanctions pushed Moscow to seek alternative partners. The bilateral meeting will take place on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit, running August 31 and September 1 in the Kyrgyz capital. Putin has nine bilateral meetings scheduled at the summit in total. Putin is also set to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping on August 31, and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on September 1. Additional meetings are planned with Indian PM Narendra Modi, Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan, and the leaders of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Mongolia. The cluster of meetings puts Putin at the center of a major diplomatic gathering of non-Western powers at a moment when Ukraine peace talks remain stalled. Turkey has positioned itself as a potential mediator in the conflict, though Ankara continues to maintain economic ties with Moscow despite being a NATO member. #Ukraine #Putin #Erdogan