Türkiye and Qatar signed a mutual defense agreement on Friday, according to a statement issued by the Turkish presidency.
The statement said that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with visiting Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in Istanbul, where the two leaders signed the agreement.
The specific terms of the agreement are not disclosed.
During their meeting, Erdogan said that the two sides would continue to work together to prevent the resurgence of war in the Gulf region.
In addition to the mutual defense agreement, the two sides signed four other agreements covering trade, education, consumer protection and diplomatic cooperation.
Türkiye, Qatar sign mutual defense agreement
European countries could join talks on resolving the Ukraine conflict once their intentions and willingness to contribute to the peace process become clear, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday.
Russia would consider expanding the format of talks after gaining a clearer understanding of Europe's intentions and readiness to contribute to the peace process, Peskov said.
Russia remains open to contacts with European countries, but they need to express their willingness to engage and appoint authorized representatives, he said.
Peskov said Russian President Vladimir Putin has never refused to communicate with European countries and was never the one to initiate the breakdown in relations, adding that it was European countries themselves that declined dialog.
Regarding the next round of trilateral talks involving Russia, Ukraine and the United States, Peskov said Moscow expects it to take place in the foreseeable future.
Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a statement following talks with U.S. special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner that Europe would send representatives to directly participate in the next round of trilateral talks, with a voice in the discussions.
But Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Friday that the issue of European participation in talks regarding the Ukraine crisis was not discussed during Russia's meeting with Witkoff and Kushner.
Expanding Ukraine talks depends on European intentions: Kremlin
