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Turkey could mediate between Russia and Ukraine in a military standoff over a nuclear plant in southern Ukraine, President Recet Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday.

Erdogan made the offer in a telephone conversation with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is Europe's largest, and is currently occupied by Russian forces. Ukrainian forces attempted to capture the facility on Friday night, however were repelled by Russia's military.

Russia said that its helicopters and fighter jets prevented the plant's capture, destroying 20 Ukrainian vessels.

During Saturday's call, Erdogan and Putin also discussed grain exports, which have been severely affected by the Russia-Ukraine war.

In July, an agreement was signed in Istanbul between Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the UN to resume grain exports from three Ukrainian Black Sea ports.