Putin and Erdogan talk directly on the phone for the first time since the downed Russian jet. ‘Productive and positive.’

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Russian President Vladimir Putin spent about 40 minutes today in what sources are calling a “very productive and positive” phone call. This is the first time the two leaders have spoken directly since November 2015, before the Turkish Air Force shot down a Russian jet near the Syrian border. Earlier this week, Kremlin officials reported that Erdoğan sent an apology letter to Putin. Ankara says the letter expressed only “regret,” not an “apology.”

For more on this story, see: Turkey tries to make peace with Russia. What we know so far: Ankara apologizes for shooting down Moscow’s jet last November. (Maybe.)