Ankara has conducted a diplomatic balancing act since Russia sent troops into Ukraine in February last year MOSCOW: The Kremlin said on Wednesday President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan would hold a meeting in the foreseeable future, although it was not yet agreed when and where the meeting would take place. Putin congratulated his “dear friend” Erdogan after the latter’s victory in Turkiye’s presidential election on Sunday. Ankara has conducted a diplomatic balancing act since Russia sent troops into Ukraine in February last year, opposing Western sanctions on Russia while retaining close ties with both Moscow and Kyiv, its Black Sea neighbors.