ISTANBUL

Russia on Tuesday denied any new contacts with Türkiye to settle the Ukraine war after the US president said his Turkish counterpart could play a role in doing so.

US President Donald Trump, after attending a Gaza peace summit in Egypt, told reporters aboard Air Force One on Monday that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan could play a role in ending the war that began in February 2022.

"He's respected by Russia. Ukraine, I can't tell you about, but he is respected by (Russian President Vladimir) Putin," Trump said, referring to Erdogan.

“No, not yet,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a briefing in Moscow, responding to a question on whether there have been new contacts between Moscow and Ankara regarding Ukraine and if another meeting in Türkiye was being discussed.

“But you know, Putin and Erdogan could very quickly agree to hold such a telephone conversation. But so far, there have been no hints of that,” Peskov added.

The spokesman also said that the issue of potential long-range Tomahawk cruise missile deliveries from the US to Ukraine should be judged following a planned meeting between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy later this week.

He reaffirmed that Moscow welcomed Washington and Trump’s efforts to resolve the ongoing war and said it is ready for a "peaceful resolution," but noted Russia continued its military actions in Ukraine "due to the lack of alternatives."

He said Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff has proven himself to be an "effective" negotiator in the Middle East.

"We hope his talents will continue to contribute to the efforts to resolve the Ukrainian conflict," Peskov added.

Earlier this month, Trump said he was close to deciding whether to send long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine, which Zelenskyy said he requested in late September.

Putin has voiced concern over the US sending Ukraine Tomahawks, arguing that this would “destroy” US-Russian ties and lead to a “completely new, qualitatively new stage of escalation."

Türkiye has hosted key diplomatic encounters between Moscow and Kyiv since the early weeks of the Ukraine war, including three rounds of renewed peace talks in Istanbul this year, which resulted in major prisoner swaps and draft memoranda outlining their respective positions for a future peace deal.

The latest phone call between Putin and Erdogan took place last week, during which the latter said diplomatic initiatives must gain momentum to ensure the Ukraine war ends in a “fair and lasting peace" and that Ankara will continue its efforts for peace, according to Türkiye’s Communications Directorate.

On Monday, Zelenskyy told reporters that he will meet Trump in Washington, DC on Friday, where he named air defense and long-range capabilities as the main topics of his visit’s agenda.