Putin met with Erdogan in Turkey ahead of Syria summit between Iran, Turkey and Russia in Ankara; Russia to expedite delivery of S-400 missile system; Russia’s Rosastom begins construction of nuclear power plant in Turkey.

Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara Tuesday, launching the construction of Turkey’s first nuclear power plant.

The nuclear power station is being built by Russia’s Rosatom nuclear energy agency and will reportedly cost around $20 billion. The “Akkuyu Project” will consist of four units, each with a capacity of 1,200 megawatts. The plant is expected to become operational in 2023.

Putin arrived in Ankara on Tuesday, his first trip abroad since being reelected for his fourth term. His two-day tour in Turkey falls ahead of an additional summit on Syria to be held on Wednesday with his counterparts from Iran and Turkey.

On Tuesday, Putin and Erdogan held a meeting centered on bilateral ties, Turkey’s nuclear power plant, Syria and the $2 billion Russian-made S-400 missile system recently purchased by Turkey.

Putin announced on Tuesday that the delivery of the system will be expedited following requests from Turkey. Putin confirmed following their meeting, “We took the decision to speed up the timetable for the delivery of these highly effective Russian systems.” The system will be delivered in full by July 2019.

The Russian S-400 missile defense system is capable of destroying aerial targets from all ranges and has tracking technology for cruise and ballistic missiles and projectiles.