Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday discussed the situation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (NPP) in a phone conversation, both presidencies confirmed. 

According to Erdogan's office, he told Putin that Türkiye can play a facilitator role regarding the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in Ukraine and the two leaders also discussed developments regarding Ukrainian grain exports and expressed their determination to continue the construction of the Akkuyu nuclear plant in Türkiye according to plans.

Erdogan and Putin agreed to discuss the issues in detail when they meet in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, for a summit on September 15-16, it added.

The Kremlin, in a short statement, said that Erdogan noted the constructive role of Russia in organizing the International Atomic Energy Agency mission to the Zaporizhzhia NPP.

The Turkish president also expressed condolences on the passing of former President of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev, who died on August 30 after a severe and prolonged illness.

(With input from Reuters)