Description: Turkish Foreign Minister, Hakan Fidan, arrived in Moscow on a two – day visit where he was received by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Fidan and Putin discussed the war in Ukraine and Turkey as the main facilitator of the negotiations as well as Russia’s support for ongoing energy talks between the Russian Gazprom and the Turkish Botas. Topics such as the development of the Akkuyu nuclear plant in Turkey were also touched upon as Fidan emphasized that Putin was well informed on the ongoing development efforts. Putin and Fidan also discussed the ongoing situation in Syria, as the transitionary government led by Ahmed Al Sharaa consolidates power on the back of unequivocal support from Turkey. Fidan also briefly met with Putin’s main negotiator for the war in Ukraine, Vladimir Medinsky, and was scheduled to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Thursday.
Impact: Turkey continues to enlarge its soft power influence as the country inserts itself on the global stage as the main procurator and facilitator of peace initiatives mainly concerning Ukraine. Turkey’s longstanding and yet complicated relations with Europe put the country in an advantageous position to broker a potentially historic peace agreement. The country is also tapped to crucial energy reserves in Asia and has strong relations with Russia, enabling it to play the role of a diplomatic buffer zone between the warring parties as well as dictate energy partnerships with Europe. Fidan’s visit arrives on the back of a wide media campaign on the Russian side which has announced that a certain peace memorandum was being drawn up and would be soon delivered to the Ukrainian side, which indicates on a potential second round of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine likely to happen in Turkey. The subjects of discussion between Fidan and Putin highlight the close joint foreign policy front between the two countries and signal high level of coordination on global and regional issues.