Fidan Meets Putin in Kazan After Türkiye Raises Black Sea Security

By Bosphorus News Geopolitics Desk

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Kazan on June 17, after Ankara raised Black Sea security with Moscow and kept open its offer to host Ukraine-Russia talks before the NATO summit in Ankara.

The Kremlin confirmed the Putin-Fidan meeting, which followed Fidan's talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Ankara told Moscow to avoid steps that could threaten Türkiye's security and interests in the Black Sea, as Bosphorus News reported earlier.

Putin praised Russia's ties with Türkiye as "developing steadily," saying contacts between the two countries were "truly friendly" and gaining new substance. Fidan said the two sides had multiple issues to discuss, a brief exchange that matched the wider agenda Ankara had placed around the visit.

Türkiye's Foreign Ministry had listed Fidan's Russia visit for June 16-17. Reuters reported that the agenda included Ukraine, Black Sea navigation safety and the South Caucasus.

The Black Sea file has become more sensitive for Ankara after drone attacks and maritime incidents near Türkiye's northern coast raised concerns over commercial shipping and escalation. Fidan also repeated Türkiye's offer to host negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow.

The Putin meeting raised the political level of Fidan's Russia visit. It also kept Türkiye's Moscow channel active weeks before the NATO summit in Ankara, where Black Sea security and Ukraine already sit inside the alliance's eastern-flank debate.

Sources: Kremlin, Türkiye's Foreign Ministry, Reuters, Associated Press, Bosphorus News review and reporting.