WASHINGTON, January 6. /TASS/. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken held a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul and they discussed the conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement.

"The secretary emphasized the need to prevent the conflict from spreading, secure the release of hostages, expand humanitarian assistance and reduce civilian casualties, and work toward broader, lasting regional peace that ensures Israel’s security and advances the establishment of a Palestinian state," the statement said.

Blinken and Erdogan also discussed European security priorities. In addition to Ukraine, they included completing Sweden’s accession to NATO and strengthening trade and investment between the US and Turkey.

The top US diplomat also met with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. They also discussed the situation in Gaza and Sweden's bid to join NATO.

Blinken set off on a Middle East tour on January 4, with plans to visit Israel, Turkey, and several Arab countries. In December 2023, Axios quoted sources as saying that at the end of the first week of January Blinken was going to discuss the settlement of the Middle East conflict with officials in the West Bank, Israel, Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.