Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, held a phone call on January 16 where a potential prisoner swap between Ukraine and Russia was discussed. The Kremlin said in a statement that during the call, the two leaders continued their "exchange of views on the situation around Ukraine" on topics that also included a lasting peace and grain exports via the Black Sea. Ukrainian officials did not take part in the call. Erdogan has used his friendly relations with both Moscow and Kyiv to try and mediate issues during the war, launched by Russia in February 2022.
