Talks between Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy began at the Dolmabahçe Working Office in Istanbul on October 31. Erdoğan greeted the Ukrainian leader at the entrance.
After posing for the press, the leaders moved on to talks.
The Black Sea is at the center of the agenda
Türkiye’s Presidential Communications Director Burhanettin Duran said the sides would discuss the development of bilateral cooperation, the Russian-Ukrainian war and the security situation in the Black Sea.
Upon arriving in Istanbul, Zelenskyy said important issues concerning maritime shipping in the Black Sea were on the agenda. In recent months, Russia and Ukraine have stepped up strikes on vessels in the Black Sea, and Ankara called in August for a moratorium on such attacks.
At the airport, Zelenskyy was welcomed by Türkiye’s National Defence Minister Yaşar Güler. The leaders last met in Istanbul in April 2026.