Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi arrived in Istanbul on Friday, where he is scheduled to hold talks with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the main topic of which will be the war started by Russia against Ukraine more than two years ago, AFP, DPA and Agerpres reported.

Volodymyr ZelenskyiPhoto: Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto/Shutterstock Editorial/Profimedia

Ukraine also wants to discuss the planned peace summit in Switzerland, the security of commercial shipping in the Black Sea and the release of Ukrainian prisoners of war.

The program of Zelenskyi’s visit also includes a visit to the shipyard, where two corvettes will be built for the Navy of Ukraine by the end of the year. The Ukrainian head of state also has meetings with representatives of the Turkish defense industry.

Ankara intends to discuss the continuation of the agreement brokered by Turkey and the United Nations in July 2022 on the Black Sea grain transportation corridor. According to this agreement, Russia provided security guarantees for the export of Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea.

However, after the agreement expires in July 2023, Kyiv has established its own corridor along the coast through which cargo ships safely arrive at Ukrainian ports to pick up cargo.

Ukraine pushed the Russian fleet out of the western Black Sea, largely through drone strikes, which made the corridor possible. According to the government in Kyiv, exports by sea from three ports located around the Ukrainian city of Odesa returned to pre-war levels in January.

Erdogan wants “more diplomacy” to achieve peace

The Turkish president last week declared his “principle” support for President Zelensky’s 10-point peace plan in 2022, which calls for the unconditional withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine, but called for “more diplomacy.” Erdogan has stressed the importance of resuming talks his country held in Istanbul at the start of the war, which was launched by Russia on February 24, 2022, but was suspended at the end of the following month to no avail. Turkey has expressed readiness to hold new Russian-Ukrainian peace talks.

The corresponding peace plan, announced by Volodymyr Zelensky at the end of 2022, provides for the withdrawal of all Russian troops from the territory of Ukraine, the restoration of internationally recognized borders of Ukraine, and the creation of an international tribunal to try Russian war criminals, according to Moscow. considers in fact a request for surrender, which is why he rejected the plan.

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