Putin and Erdogan call for immediate Middle East ceasefire amid rising global impact

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan have jointly called for an immediate ceasefire in the escalating conflict in the Middle East, warning of widening global consequences as hostilities continue.

According to a statement released by the Kremlin following a phone conversation between the two leaders on Friday, both sides emphasised the urgency of halting military operations and pursuing negotiated solutions. They stressed the need for agreements that reflect the broader interests of regional actors, signalling support for a diplomatic pathway to de-escalation.

The conflict, which began more than a month ago following coordinated strikes by the United States and Israel on Iran, has since expanded across multiple fronts, affecting stability across the Middle East and beyond. The Kremlin noted that sustained military activity is already having far-reaching effects, particularly on global energy markets, supply chains and trade flows.

Beyond the Middle East, the two leaders also addressed security concerns in the Black Sea region. The Kremlin accused Ukraine of attempting to target infrastructure critical to energy transit between Russia and Turkey, including pipelines that play a key role in supplying gas to parts of Europe.

Russia’s state-owned energy company Gazprom said its forces had recently intercepted a drone attack targeting a section of the TurkStream pipeline, which carries natural gas from southern Russia to Turkey and onwards to several European countries, including Hungary, Slovakia and Serbia.

Moscow has repeatedly accused Ukraine of attempting to disrupt energy infrastructure linked to its exports, claims that come amid the ongoing war between the two countries. Kyiv has previously acknowledged targeting Russian energy assets as part of its strategy to undermine Moscow’s war capabilities.

At the same time, Russian strikes on Ukraine’s own energy network have caused widespread disruption, leaving millions of civilians facing periodic shortages of electricity and heating since the full-scale invasion began in 2022.

The latest appeal by Moscow and Ankara reflects growing international concern over the expanding scope of the Middle East conflict, particularly its potential to further destabilise already strained global energy systems.