Top Turkish official talks Russia-Ukraine war with U.S. undersecretary of state

A top Turkish presidential aide and one of the U.S.' leading diplomats on Monday discussed the Russia-Ukraine war.

During the meeting at the capital Ankara's Presidential Complex, Turkish presidential spokesperson Ibrahim Kalın and Victoria Nuland, U.S. undersecretary of state for political affairs, discussed such issues as Syria, Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Israel, energy security, defense cooperation, and bilateral political and economic relations, Kalın's office said in a statement.

The meeting said that Russian-Ukrainian talks in Istanbul on March 29 gave "positive momentum" to peace efforts, with Turkey playing "an important role" towards ending the war between Russia and Ukraine.

Kalın told Nuland that Turkey will resolutely continue its diplomatic initiatives for a cease-fire and the opening of humanitarian corridors.

Both sides also expressed satisfaction with implementation of the just-announced Turkey-U.S. strategic mechanism, saying it would have a positive impact on the course of bilateral relations.