During a meeting in Madrid, Turkish and US Presidents Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Joe Biden agreed to "continue close consultations" between Washington and Ankara, the White House reported.

The two leaders discussed the candidacies of Sweden and Finland for NATO membership, the war in Ukraine, and the situation in the Aegean Sea and Syria.

"President Biden reaffirmed his desire to maintain constructive bilateral relations, and leaders agreed that it was important to continue close consultations between our governments," the White House said in a statement.

The US president also welcomed Ankara's conclusion of a tripartite agreement with Finland and Sweden, which paved the way for NATO to invite them to join the alliance.

"Leaders discussed their continued support for Ukraine in its defense against Russian aggression, as well as the importance of removing Russian barriers to Ukrainian grain exports," the statement said.

The two presidents also discussed the importance of maintaining stability in the Aegean Sea and Syria.

In a brief conversation before the closed-door meeting, Erdogan said the steps being taken to strengthen NATO would have a "special contribution" in the context of the Russian-Ukrainian crisis.

The Russo-Ukrainian war has negative consequences for grain and oil, the Turkish president said, adding: "We are trying to resolve the process with a balanced policy in this regard. We hope that with this balanced policy we will achieve results."

He expressed hope that corridors would soon be opened for countries that are currently experiencing grain shortages.

Biden thanked Erdogan for his efforts to export millions of tonnes of grain from Ukraine and to support Sweden's and Finland's NATO membership.

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