Türkiye is ready to host a peace summit with Russia and Ukraine, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Friday, as he met with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Istanbul.
"We are ready to host a peace summit between the two countries," Erdoğan told reporters in a joint news conference, as he noted that Türkiye is ready to provide all support to facilitate a new agreement between the two warring countries.
Pledging full support for Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty, the president said Ankara would also support efforts to reach a new agreement regarding the Black Sea Grain Initiative.
"Türkiye supports the territorial integrity of Ukraine; Will strongly contribute to the reconstruction of Ukraine after the war ends," he said.
Meanwhile, Zelenskyy thanked Erdoğan and the Turkish people for their support to Ukraine's territorial integrity.
Zelenskyy said that his country achieved "serious humanitarian results" in the rescue of nationals in Russian captivity thanks to Türkiye's efforts.
He said Russia would not be invited to the first peace summit due to be held in Switzerland and that a Russian representative could be invited to the next meeting after a roadmap for peace would be discussed and agreed upon with Ukrainian allies at the meeting in Switzerland.
Expressing that they held a very productive and friendly meeting with Erdoğan, Zelenskyy said he gave his counterpart a list of Ukrainian prisoners held by Russia, especially composed of Crimean Tatars.
"We must free them all, both soldiers and civilians and those who were captured while defending their people," said Zelenskyy.
He said he and Erdoğan paid significant attention to his peace formula and he informed him about preparations for the peace summit in Switzerland later this year.
"Türkiye's special role deserves the leadership of your state to be present at the peace summit and in the joint work of the world majority for the full implementation of the peace formula," he said.
Regarding bilateral ties, Ukraine's president said his country devoted a lot of time to discussing cooperation in the defense sphere, both at the government level and at the level of companies, and it reached certain agreements.
Expressing his satisfaction in meeting with representatives of Türkiye's business world, Zelenskyy said Ukraine is "ready to move towards the maximum operational implementation of the projects discussed," which he argued will be "strong,"
Zelenskyy said the two countries are working for "joint arms and ammunition" production, adding that it has a "strategic" aspect.
He also said food security was discussed, underlining the importance of the Black Sea region.
"Our corridor works quickly. Many ships passed through there. I am sure we can do more. More than 30 million grains have already passed through that corridor," he said.
Türkiye has positioned itself as an intermediary in the Russia-Ukraine conflict and Erdoğan was a key player in brokering the Black Sea Grain Initiative.
Shortly after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Türkiye hosted a meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers as well as unsuccessful talks between negotiators from the two countries aimed at ending the hostilities.
Ukraine has been defending itself against a full-scale Russian invasion for more than two years. For its campaign, Kyiv has received massive international support, mostly from Western allies, in the form of weapons deliveries, humanitarian aid, and sanctions against Russia.
Türkiye was a key player in the now-on-hold deal that allowed for the safe passage of Ukrainian grain shipments via the Black Sea despite the blockade of its ports after Moscow launched its invasion in late February 2022.
The accord, brokered by Ankara and the United Nations in July 2022, ended after Moscow refused to renew it. Ankara has ramped up efforts to try to revive the initiative.
Moscow withdrew from the accord on July 17, accusing the West of hampering its grain and fertilizer exports. It has since attacked Ukrainian agricultural and port infrastructure. Moscow has said that it was ready to return to the deal once an accompanying agreement concerning Russia was implemented.
