President Erdoğan answered reporters’ questions after Friday prayers.
Commenting on Russia-Ukraine negotiations, Erdoğan said, “This week, we will try to speak with Putin and Trump and see if we can bring them together in Istanbul.”

Erdoğan made a statement regarding the ongoing forest fires:
“We are facing a major disaster, and in this catastrophe, all our heroic firefighters have shown every possible act of bravery. Firefighting efforts are continuing with 27 planes actively involved and 105 helicopters. A total of 6,000 land vehicles and 25,000 personnel are engaged in this battle.”

Türkiye on Thursday expressed condolences over a plane crash in Russia’s Far East that claimed nearly 50 lives.

“We are deeply saddened by the plane crash that occurred today in Amur Oblast, the Russian Federation,” said the Foreign Ministry in a statement.

“We extend our condolences to the families of those who lost their lives and to the people of the Russian Federation,” it added.

An Antonov An-24 passenger plane on Thursday disappeared from radar during a flight in Russia’s Far Eastern Amur region.

According to the Russian Investigative Committee, all 43 passengers and six crew members on board were killed in the crash.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday that all three rounds of talks with Ukraine in Istanbul were “marked with tangible results.”

Speaking at a press briefing in Moscow, Zakharova said there is no “magic wand” that can resolve all problems in one go.

“I can say that the three rounds of negotiations that have taken place were indeed marked, despite the screams, moans, howls, ‘grunts,’ or other inarticulate noises coming from Bankova Street (Ukraine’s presidential office), by tangible results,” she emphasized.

Zakharova pointed out that there were large-scale exchanges of prisoners of war, as well as of the bodies of fallen soldiers.

“However, large-scale issues of statehood must, of course, be resolved with an understanding of the root causes of what happened to Ukraine and a comprehensive assessment of the events and consequences that led to the current situation,” she added.

She urged the Ukrainian leadership to be more independent and not believe that “the West will save them,” will give more money and weapons, and then they will “triumph,” describing such a way of thinking as “pure utopia.”

On Wednesday, Moscow and Kyiv held their third round of talks in Istanbul. The sides exchange proposals for the future development of the peace process.

Underlining the importance of the International Defense Industry Fair (IDEF) 2025, held amid a challenging geopolitical landscape marked by the Russia-Ukraine war and turmoil in the Middle East, the Turkish Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu said, “Reaching this level is the result of hard work, effort, and dedication.”

A chain is only as strong as its weakest link; if any small piece cannot be produced, the entire system will fail, he said at the IDEF in Istanbul on Thursday.

Although no country in the world can be completely self-sufficient, the minister stressed that self-sufficiency is extremely valuable in general.

The 17th edition of the six-day defense fair IDEF, starting on Tuesday, is being held simultaneously at the Istanbul Fair Center, Atatürk Airport, Wow Hotel, and Ataköy Marina.

The event, organized by KFA Fairs with support from Türkiye’s Defense Industries Secretariat (SSB) and the Turkish Armed Forces Foundation, has Anadolu as its global communication partner.

He noted that Türkiye has achieved a localization rate of over 80% in the defense industry and drew attention to the importance of this rate.

He stated that the defense industry plays a leading role in many areas, from satellites to high-speed train sets and metro systems.

Uraloğlu said: “Everything that develops in the defense industry supports the products we produce in other areas.”