Erdogan, Putin to discuss Ukraine

Erdogan said he would speak to Putin on Thursday.

"I wish they wouldn't hold referendums and that we could instead solve the problem diplomatically," he said.

The referendums recently held in four Russian-occupied regions in southern and eastern Ukraine are not internationally recognised because they were held in violation of Ukrainian and international laws and without minimum democratic standards.

Turkey is a member of the NATO defence alliance and has good relations with Ukraine, but is also a close partner of Russia.

The phone call between Putin and Erdogan could also see the two leaders discuss plans to build a new nuclear power station in Sinop in the Turkish Black Sea region.

According to the Turkish state-run Anadolu news agency, Erdogan said talks with Putin on the matter were under way. 

Turkey's first nuclear power plant, Akkuyu, is currently being built in southern Turkey, with the Russian state-owned Rosatom in charge of construction.