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Erdoğan says Türkiye is ready to help open the path to peace
President Erdoğan said after meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Dolmabahçe that “there are no losers in a just peace.” Zelenskyy said they had agreed to work with Erdoğan to maintain the Black Sea Grain Corridor.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a joint press conference after their one-on-one and delegation-level meetings at the Dolmabahçe Working Office in Istanbul.
Erdoğan said the fighting in Ukraine continued unabated and that the number of casualties was increasing by the day, offering his condolences to the Ukrainian people for those who had lost their lives in the war. Erdoğan said they had discussed peace efforts and the security situation in the Black Sea during the meeting, adding that he was pleased that efforts to end the war through diplomacy had regained momentum, also with the initiatives of U.S. President Donald Trump.
“There are no losers in a just peace”
Recalling that the Ukraine-Russia talks hosted by Türkiye had shown that diplomacy could produce tangible results, Erdoğan said, “At the point we have reached today, we say that ‘there are no losers in a just peace.’ I would like to emphasize that we are ready to make every effort within our power to open the path to peace.”
Drawing attention to the recent escalation in the Black Sea, Erdoğan stressed that attacks on civilian vessels would benefit no one and that they rejected such attacks regardless of who carried them out. He said they would continue talks with the parties to restore navigational safety in the Black Sea and aimed to advance the process by also discussing the issue with Russia.
Grain corridor and trilateral meeting format
Zelenskyy said they had agreed with Erdoğan to work together to maintain the Black Sea Grain Corridor and ensure that it continued to operate effectively. Zelenskyy said the meeting’s coincidence with International Black Sea Day carried symbolic significance and that Türkiye consistently supported the steps taken to ensure safe navigation in the Black Sea.
Zelenskyy said they were preparing for the trilateral Ukraine-U.S.-Russia meeting expected to take place in the first half of November. He added that he and Erdoğan had also discussed Türkiye’s and Europe’s involvement in the process and the possibility of holding the meetings in Türkiye.
Free trade and defense cooperation
Erdoğan said the Free Trade Agreement signed between the two countries in 2022 and entering into force on October 1 had brought them one step closer to the goal of $10 billion in trade volume. Reiterating their commitment to Ukraine’s territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence, Erdoğan said he believed that Turkish companies that had remained in Ukraine despite the conditions of war would make a significant contribution to the country’s reconstruction.
Zelenskyy also stressed that the two countries were “natural allies” in defense and the defense industry, saying they were working on new joint industrial and energy projects. Zelenskyy said they had also met with representatives of Turkish energy companies and noted that they expected an increase next week in the supply of generators and other energy equipment.
Minister of National Defense Yaşar Güler, National Intelligence Organization Director İbrahim Kalın and Presidential Communications Director Burhanettin Duran also attended the meetings.
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