Turkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other high-level Ukrainian officials in Kyiv as Ankara makes efforts for a compromise between Ukraine and Russia to revive a key Black Sea deal for grain exports.
The Black Sea grain deal was brokered by Türkiye and the United Nations in July 2022 to avert a global food crisis. The agreement allowed grain shipments from Ukraine’s Black Sea ports until last month when Russia pulled out of the wartime deal.
During his meeting with Turkish foreign minister in Kyiv, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked Türkiye for continued and consistent support for Ukraine. He also expressed gratitude for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan‘s diplomatic efforts aimed at ending the war and restoring stability and security in the Black Sea region.
Ukrainian presidency said in its statement that the two sides discussed the risks posed by Russia’s blockade of the Black Sea grain corridor.
Turkiye and Ukrainian officials also discussed the implementation of the Ukrainian Peace Formula and preparations for the global summit on its implementation. “Türkiye has become one of the first leaders of the Peace Formula. We count on the further active role of the Republic of Türkiye in its implementation,” Zelenskyy said.
Following the meeting between Zelenskyy and Fidan, Turkish foreign minister also met with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal who said they had discussed the reconstruction of Ukraine as well as trade and economic cooperation between the two countries.
The Turkish foreign minister is also set to visit Moscow soon, as per Russian state news agency RIA. The trip is seen as latest efforts by Ankarato persuade Russia to return to the grain deal. The visit also precedes ananticipated meeting between Turksh President Erdogan and Russian leader Vladimir Putin likely to take place in Türkiye later this month, as per Turkish media.