The Russian Invasion

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Alexandr Demyanchuk / AP

Erdogan to Putin: Avoid increased tensions 

 

In a phone call, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is said to have urged Russian President Vladimir Putin not to escalate war tensions in Ukraine. This is reported by AFP. 

  

The statement comes after Russian drones attacked grain warehouses in the Ukrainian city of Izmail early Wednesday, where 40,000 tons of grain were said to have been destroyed.  

 

"Erdogan emphasized the importance of the grain agreement, which he describes as a bridge to peace," writes the Turkish presidential office in a statement, according to Reuters.  

 

Putin repeated his answer that Russia is ready to resume the agreement as soon as the West meets their demands. Russian Invasion|Russian Reactions  

 

A building in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv after an attack by an Iranian-made drone on October 17, 2022. Roman Hrytsyna/AP  

 

ISW: Iranian drone factory to be built in Belarus  

 

Iran plans to build drone factories in Belarus near the border with Ukraine, the ISW think tank reports after a meeting between defense officials of the two countries in Tehran on Tuesday.  

 

Iran has long supplied Russia with drones used in the war against Ukraine. Placing the production outside Iran makes it easier to circumvent the sanctions against both Iran and Russia, writes Al-Monitor.

 

According to US intelligence in May, Iran is helping Russia build a drone factory east of Moscow, AP reports. According to ISW, there is already an Iranian drone factory in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan. The new factory in Gomel, Belarus, would be located just a few miles from the Ukrainian border and 25 miles from the capital, Kyiv.  

 

Zelenskyi. AP  

The Russian Invasion|The Battles

Zelenskyj: Hope for big peace summit this fall  

 

Ukraine hopes to hold a large-scale peace summit this fall, says President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a speech to Ukrainian diplomats, according to Reuters.  

 

According to the president, representatives from more than 40 countries will hold talks in Saudi Arabia's Jeddah this weekend to discuss the issue.  

 

- Autumn is here very soon, but there is still time to prepare the summit and involve most of the world's countries.  

 

A meeting would be based on the ten-point peace plan that Kyiv produced last fall, which includes the complete withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukrainian soil.  

 

Ukrainian and Western authority representatives have previously made it clear that Russia will not be invited to the talks.