Turkish President spoke by phone with Russian counterpart about improving bilateral ties and he repeated Ankara's willingness to do its part to peacefully resolve the war in Ukraine, Recep Tayyip Erdogan's office said on Friday.

Iran PressAsia: The latest developments in Ukraine were also discussed in the call, according to Turkey's Directorate of Communications.

NATO member Turkey has close relations with both Ukraine and Russia and has sought to balance ties during the Russian operation in Ukraine, rejecting Western sanctions on Moscow. 

Along with the United Nations, Turkey brokered the July deal to unlock Ukrainian grain exports from its Black Sea ports, in what remains the only significant diplomatic breakthrough in the seven-month-old conflict.

Ankara's relations with Russia are complex, with the two countries cooperating closely on energy supplies while being at odds over Syria, Libya and the Republic of Azerbaijan.

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