Zelensky Arrives in Turkey for Official Talks

The plane carrying Zelensky and his delegation landed at Ankara Esenboğa Airport at 9.08 p.m. local time (1808GMT).

Zelensky was welcomed by officials at the airport.

The Ukrainian president is scheduled to meet with Erdoğan on Tuesday at the Presidential Complex in Ankara.

“During the talks, all aspects of the Turkish-Ukrainian strategic partnership will be reviewed and steps for further strengthening the bilateral cooperation will be raised,” according to a statement by the Communications Directorate.

The two presidents will also exchange views on recent developments in Ukraine and other regional and global issues, it added. Zelensky and Erdoğan are expected to hold a joint press conference following their talks.

Zelensky is in a three-country trip that includes the United Arab Emirates, Turkey and Saudi Arabia. Zelensky’s meetings come as Washington and Moscow decided to launch a new dialogue process for resolving the conflict. On the same day Zelensky and Erdoğan meet in Ankara, the American and Russian delegations will hold a key meeting to create a road map for future peace talks.

Turkey is in favor of a negotiated and fair agreement between Russia and Ukraine and has already announced its willingness to mediate between the two sides.

In an interview with TRT World over the weekend, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Turkey, along with European countries, deserves to be part of the peace talks as it is one of the regional countries that is most affected by the ongoing war.

In Ankara, talks will focus on efforts to end the war through an agreement and to provide security in the Black Sea. Turkey and Ukraine have described their ties as a strategic partnership and launched an effort to upgrade cooperation in the defense industry.

After Ankara, Zelensky is expected to go to Saudi Arabia.

Source: HDN