ISTANBUL: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is set to visit Turkiye on Tuesday for talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara, as announced by the presidency on Monday.
During their meeting, the two leaders will focus on ways to enhance the cooperation between Ukraine and Turkiye, according to Erdogan’s chief press aide, Fahrettin Altun, who shared this information on social media.
Zelensky is scheduled to arrive in Ankara after visiting the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where he had discussions about economic collaboration on Sunday. Following his time in Turkiye, he plans to travel to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday.
This will be Zelensky’s third trip to Turkiye since the onset of the Russian invasion of Ukraine nearly three years ago, with his most recent visit occurring in March 2024.
Turkiye, a NATO member, has worked to maintain positive relations with both Ukraine and Russia. Erdogan has positioned himself as a mediator and potential peace-builder between the two nations. While Turkiye has supplied drones to Ukraine, it has also refrained from implementing Western sanctions against Moscow.
Zelensky’s visit coincides with a meeting between Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US officials in Riyadh, as part of ongoing efforts by the Kremlin to mend relations with Washington. Meanwhile, US and Russian officials are preparing for a summit between their leaders, raising concerns in Europe and Kyiv that they might seek to resolve the Ukraine conflict without including them in the discussions.
