Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is in Istanbul to meet his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The Ukrainian head of state is accompanied by a delegation of ministers, including that of Defense, Rustem Umerov.
The two leaders, who met at the Dolmabahçe Palace in Istanbul, discussed the latest developments in the war between Moscow and Kiev and the revival of the agreement that allowed the export of grain from Ukrainian ports via a safe corridor in the Black Sea , between August 2022 and July last year, when Russia pulled out of the pact.
The pact found between Kiev, Moscow, Ankara and the United Nations allowed the export of over 32.9 million tons of grain and other food products from Ukrainian ports, starting from August 2022 until July last year, they know, when Russia pulled out of the agreement.
After having asked several times for the resumption of the pact, Erdogan recently said he was in contact with the United Nations for a relaunch of the initiative but did not provide further details.
On spoke with Ukrainian Navy personnel. I thanked them for their service. We are strengthening our country."
“I also inspected the construction of our second Ada-class corvette and gave it the name Hetman Ivan Vyhovskyi. I thank the President of Turkey and all Turkish and Ukrainian defense companies for their cooperation and for working together to bring peace closer and make it long-lasting,” he added.
"I am grateful to Turkey for its reliable support to Ukraine. Both our countries, the entire region and global food security require unconditional safety of navigation in the Black Sea. We can achieve this by working together," he wrote on Zelensky at the beginning of his conversation with Erdogan.
“We are interested in strengthening bilateral cooperation and co-production with Turkish defense companies. We also need Turkey's help to free our prisoners of war and all our people, including the Crimean Tatars, held captive by Russia” , Zelensky added.
"The talks between Ukraine and Turkey are always sincere and fruitful. Today we have reached agreements on joint defense projects both at the government and company level", continued Zelensky on the social network.
"I met with representatives of the Turkish defense industry. We are ready to move quickly to put into practice everything we discussed. I am very satisfied with the discussions and I am confident that the results will be important."
We are also ready to quickly resolve all issues related to economic cooperation, including reconstruction, and carry forward bilateral agreements necessary for our peoples.
Today, Ukraine and Turkey signed an agreement to simplify trade and eliminate barriers for business.
Several important documents at the level of defense ministries were also signed.
Ukraine and Turkey strengthen each other, as well as our entire region,” he added.
Erdogan told his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky that
Turkey was ready to host peace negotiations between delegations from Kiev and Moscow
.
"We are ready to host a summit in which Russia can also participate," the Turkish leader said during a joint press conference with Zelensky in Istanbul, broadcast by Turkish state TV TRT.
Erdogan also reiterated that Ankara is ready to support a revival of the agreement that had allowed the export of wheat from Ukraine, from August 2022 until July last year, when Moscow withdrew from the agreement.
The wheat pact "prevented a global food crisis, to ensure a new agreement, if there is an intention on both sides, we are ready to give the necessary support," the Turkish leader said.
“We do not see how it is possible to invite” to a peace summit “people who block, destroy and kill everything. We want to achieve a result, and the result is a just peace for Ukraine. Therefore, civilized countries will first develop a plan and only then will they involve representatives of Russia who want a just peace,” Zelensky responded.
Zelensky, missile in Odessa 300-400 meters from me and Mitsotakis
"I was with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, on an official visit to Odessa. We were in the port. Yes, there was a ballistic missile attack 300-400 meters away. The missile came very quickly," he wrote Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Telegram commenting on the Russian attack two days ago.
Kiev, explosions in occupied cities in the Zaporizhzhia region
Explosions were reported in Russian-occupied towns in Ukraine's southeastern Zaporizhzhia region.
As reported by the Kyiv Independent.
Governor Ivan Fedorov said that a first explosion occurred near a Russian military base in Tokmak, another in a Russian ammunition warehouse in Melitopol.
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