Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Monday congratulated his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on his re-election and offered to mediate between Moscow and Kyiv, the presidency announced.
“President Erdogan expressed his belief that the positive evolution of relations between Turkey and Russia were continuing and stated that Turkey was ready to play a facilitator role to return to the negotiating table with Ukraine,” the Turkish presidency said.
Putin secured 87 percent of all votes cast with more than 99 percent of voting stations having submitted results, according to state news agency RIA.
Putin thanked “all citizens of the country for your support and this trust” during a news conference at his campaign headquarters in Moscow early on Monday.
All of the Russian president’s major opponents are dead, in prison, or exiled, and he has overseen an unrelenting crackdown on anyone who publicly opposes his rule or his military offensive in Ukraine.
