Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said Kyiv is “very open” to Turkey hosting a trilateral leaders’ meeting with Russia aimed at reviving peace talks, after meeting President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported on Friday.
Zelenskyy said Erdoğan had told him during their meeting on Wednesday that Turkey was ready to host a leaders’ meeting, a proposal Kyiv supports as diplomatic efforts to end Russia’s war in Ukraine remain stalled.
Turkey has hosted previous rounds of Russia-Ukraine talks and has repeatedly offered to mediate between Moscow and Kyiv.
Erdoğan said during his meeting with Zelenskyy that Ankara was ready to do what it could to help end the war through a lasting peace and would continue efforts to revive direct negotiations.
The two leaders also discussed security in the Black Sea, where attacks on commercial vessels have increased in recent months.
Erdoğan said attacks on merchant ships were “indefensible” and called on both sides to act responsibly to protect freedom of navigation.
Zelenskyy’s office said the leaders also discussed restoring Ukraine’s maritime food-export corridor, which has been disrupted by Russian attacks on port infrastructure.
“There are countries on every continent that depend on our food exports,” Zelenskyy said, adding that several options were being considered to fully restore the corridor.
The Ukrainian president also briefed Erdoğan on his contacts with the US administration and discussed bilateral issues including a possible drone agreement, free trade and cooperation in energy and defense.
Turkey has sought to maintain working relations with both Kyiv and Moscow since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Ankara has supplied military equipment to Ukraine and backed its territorial integrity while declining to join Western sanctions against Russia.
Turkey also helped broker the 2022 Black Sea Grain Initiative, which allowed millions of tons of Ukrainian grain to reach global markets before Russia withdrew from the agreement in 2023.
The latest push for a leaders’ meeting comes as fighting continues despite renewed diplomatic activity around the UN General Assembly. Russia and Ukraine remain far apart on issues including territory, security guarantees and the terms of any ceasefire.
