Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged Russia’s Vladimir Putin to declare a unilateral cease-fire in Ukraine as Moscow stuck to its long-held line that Kyiv needs to give ground.

Citing the “positive results” of negotiations over the grain corridor, prisoner exchanges and efforts to create a safe zone around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Erdogan said:

“Calls for peace and negotiations should be supported by a unilateral cease-fire and a vision for a fair solution,” in a phone call with Putin on Thursday, according to a statement from the Turkish presidency. 

The comment marks the first time Erdogan has called on Russia to suspend fighting without a commitment from Ukraine that it would do the same. NATO-member Turkey has sought to balance ties with both sides in the conflict and presented itself as a mediator.

The Kremlin did not mention Erdogan’s appeal in its readout of the call. It said Putin “reiterated Russia’s openness to a serious dialog - provided that the Kyiv authorities fulfill the well-known and repeatedly voiced demands and take into account the new territorial realities,” reiterating Moscow’s long-standing stance. 

Ukraine’s forces have been advancing for months, forcing Russian troops out of as much as 40% of the territory they initially took in the invasion. The Kremlin has said it still aims to reverse the setbacks and Kyiv’s battlefield progress has slowed in recent weeks, but Russian troops have so far failed to retake significant ground.

Ukraine has rejected calls for a cease-fire, saying Russian troops must first leave its territory.

Bloomberg/ By Patrick Sykes and Firat Kozok