President of Türkiye Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held talks at the Dolmabahçe office in Istanbul, first one-on-one and then in an expanded meeting with their delegations. After the meeting, the leaders addressed a joint press conference.
Zelenskyy said the sides had agreed to work together to ensure that the Black Sea grain corridor continues to exist and operate effectively. He said it was symbolic that the meeting took place on International Black Sea Day and that Türkiye has consistently supported Ukraine’s efforts to ensure safe navigation in the region.
Trilateral format and possible venue in Türkiye
The Ukrainian president said Kyiv was preparing for a trilateral negotiation format involving Ukraine, the United States and Russia, expected in the first half of November. Zelenskyy said he and Erdoğan discussed the prospects for this format, possible participation by Türkiye and Europe, and the possibility of holding meetings in Türkiye.
“Strong decisions are needed to achieve peace,” Zelenskyy said. He added that de-escalation would be possible if Russia were compelled to take steps to reduce tensions.
Erdoğan: “A just peace has no losers”
Erdoğan welcomed the renewed momentum behind efforts to end the war diplomatically, including with the participation of U.S. President Donald Trump. He recalled that talks between Ukraine and Russia mediated by Türkiye had shown that diplomacy could produce concrete results. “A just peace has no losers. We are ready to make every effort to open the way to peace,” the President of Türkiye said.
Addressing the situation in the Black Sea, Erdoğan said that amid the recent escalation, the conflict had spread to maritime waters. He stressed that Türkiye could not accept attacks on civilian vessels, regardless of who carried them out, and would continue consultations with the parties, including Russia, to restore the safety of navigation.
Free trade and energy
Erdoğan recalled that the free trade agreement between Türkiye and Ukraine, signed in 2022, entered into force on October 1. He said it brought the countries closer to the goal of increasing trade turnover to $10 billion.
Zelenskyy described the two countries as “natural allies” in defense and the defense industry and said he had met with representatives of Turkish energy companies. He said Ukraine expected increased deliveries of generators and other energy equipment as early as next week.
