Critical statements by Erdogan, who met with the President of Ukraine Zelenskiy

President Erdoğan welcomed Ukrainian President Zelenskiy, who came to Istanbul at his invitation, with a ceremony at the Vahdettin Mansion. The two leaders shook hands in the welcome and then moved on to a face-to-face meeting. After the meeting, which lasted about two and a half hours, President Erdoğan and Ukrainian President Zelenskiy appeared in front of the cameras.

Highlights of President Erdogan’s remarks:

* We had our last face-to-face meeting with my dear friend in August of last year. We also made a lot of phone calls with him. Despite what happened, the friendship between Türkiye and Ukraine has been strengthened in all aspects.

* In the war that we will awaken on the 500th day, the Ukrainian people defend the independence of their country. From the moment the danger of conflict began to emerge, we did everything possible to avoid war.

“I WISH THE EXTENDED TIME”

* We also demonstrate our solidarity with Ukraine with the concrete help we provide in many fields. On the other hand, we became the country that made the most intensive efforts to end the war through negotiations on the basis of international law.

We carried out the Black Sea Grain Initiative with the signatures signed in Istanbul in July last year. I hope that the term of the initiative, which delivers about 33 million tons of grains to those in need in a year, will be extended again, which will expire on July 17. I believe that the parties will act with a sense of global responsibility for this purpose.

“UKRAINE DESERVES TO BE A MEMBER OF NATO”

* Undoubtedly, Ukraine deserves to be a member of NATO. I would like to emphasize again a point that he always defends insistently. A just peace has no losers. Despite the differences in understanding between the parties, it is our most sincere wish to return to the understanding of peace as soon as possible. We will provide all kinds of support for the restoration of Ukraine. Our leading contractor companies in Ukraine will help their Ukrainian friends in rebuilding the country.

* While we stand in solidarity with Ukraine, we will continue our efforts to end the war on the basis of negotiations. I hope that our meetings will be beneficial to our countries, our region and the international community.

ZELENSKY: WE NEED TO ENSURE STABILITY IN THE BLACK SEA

Ukrainian President Zelensky also used the following statements:

* The interests of all rights must be balanced. We have an overview. No one can impose what goes against the interests of our state and our rights. The Black Sea should not be a crisis zone. I am grateful for Turkey’s support for the territorial integrity of Ukraine.

* We discussed the situation in Crimea, the area still controlled by Russia. I am grateful for your support of the Black Sea Grains Initiative. Russia is manipulating the course of the ship. Russia behaves in such a way that everything in the Black Sea belongs to it. The well-being of the peoples of our region depends on us. We need to ensure stability in the Black Sea region.

* We meet in times of war. In this difficult time, Mr. President came to Ukraine and supported us. After the election of Mr. President, I am the first president to come by invitation. Here we discuss many topics. For us, people come first.

* We are also working especially to take the Crimean Tatars captive. We still don’t have results. I cannot give more details on this subject. I also personally know Neriman Celal. He joined the Crimean Tatar Forum and we had many conversations with him. Like many of our captives, he will be set free. I thank the President for his unwavering support in this direction.

“THIS IS OUR MOST IMPORTANT AGENDA WITH Mr. Putin”

After the press release, Erdoğan and Zelenskiy answered the journalists’ questions.

When asked about the Russian-Ukrainian prisoner exchange, Erdogan said: “We heard from the Ukrainian side about the prisoner exchange. We are also negotiating with the Russian side. I also discussed the issue with Putin. Next month Putin will visit Türkiye. In the meantime, we will discuss this issue in the phone calls that will take place. Prisoner exchanges are among our top priorities. We are followers. I hope we get a result soon.”

On the question about the Grain Deal and mediation, Erdoğan used the following statements:

* We continue our work on this issue from the Istanbul-based Grain Broker. We are working on how much longer we can extend after July 17. We hope that we have an expectation that this will happen at least once every 3 months, not every 2 months. We will make an effort to increase the period to 2 years.

* This is our most important agenda with Mr. Putin. The poor countries of Africa always look here and expect it. We spoke with the president about 12 ships in the Ukrainian port. They said they would make an effort to free all 12 ships. These are Turkish ships, and our businessmen here will also relax.

“THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT THEME”

When asked about the grain aisle, Zelenskiy said: “This is a very important issue. The lives of people on other continents should not depend on the mood in which Putin wakes up. I think there should be different corridors. It is very important to remove the blocks from the ships. We have very different outlets. We should not meet in 2 months and think about how people will live. The grain broker should not depend only on the wishes of one state.”

ZELENSKY SHARES DURING THE MEETING

Ukrainian leader Zelenskiy shared on his social media account while meeting with President Erdoğan. Zelensky said in his post:

* A critical meeting with President Erdogan. Security, both in our Black Sea region and in Europe in general. I am grateful for your support for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine. The Formula of Peace – The protection of our countries, peoples and interests. Pay attention to the Vilnius summit, which is being prepared.

* We will consider separately the protection and development of the Black Sea Grain Initiative and additional efforts for food security. The world must be protected from all forms of terrorism.

KREMLIN: WE FOLLOW CLOSELY

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced that they closely followed the meeting between Erdogan and Zelenskiy. Describing the meeting as “important”, Peskov said: “We are closely following the outcome. The talks between Erdogan and Zelensky will be interesting for us. This is important,” he said.

Peskov also said that President Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin could meet soon, but the date has not yet been finalized.