Kremlin says preparations to Putin's visit to Türkiye 'underway'

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) — Preparations are underway for Russian President Vladimir Putin to visit Türkiye, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday.

The date will be determined, taking into account the terms of an upcoming presidential election in Russia slated for March 17, and the schedule of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Peskov said at a news briefing in Moscow.

"As soon as these dates are agreed, we will announce them together with our partners," Peskov said.

Asked about the possibility of resuming a key deal for Ukraine to export grain via the Black Sea, Peskov said there were no "prerequisites" for such a measure in the talks.

"At the moment, there are no prerequisites for the resumption of the grain deal in the form in which it was negotiated and not implemented in relation to Russia. Therefore, we do not see any grounds and prerequisites for this."

Commenting on reports of a possible German decision to seize the assets of Russian oil company Rosneft, Peskov said the Kremlin did not rule out any measures to protect Russia's interests.

"We do not exclude anything to protect our interests and to counteract the illegal steps that we are talking about," he said.

According to the spokesman, there is no contact at the government level between Germany and Russia to address the dispute and settle it peacefully.

"Nevertheless, the company certainly is trying to protect its interests using the full arsenal of possible legal means," he said.

Peskov emphasized that the actions of the German authorities undermine the economic and legal foundations of European countries.

"These are steps that absolutely devalue the investment attractiveness of these countries and have, of course, very profound consequences for those who make such decisions," he stressed, adding that these consequences would have legal and economic impacts, while also affecting these nations' image.

Germany is reportedly considering steps to nationalize Rosneft's subsidiaries instead of further extending a trusteeship under which they have been managed since September 2022.