Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will make a working visit to Türkiye on October 31 at the invitation of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The visit was announced by Communications Director Burhanettin Duran.
Duran said the talks in Istanbul would address steps to further develop bilateral cooperation between Türkiye and Ukraine, as well as regional and international developments, particularly the Russia-Ukraine War and the security situation in the Black Sea.

Black Sea security high on the agenda
The visit comes at a time when the effects of the war are once again being felt in the Black Sea. Türkiye emphasizes that it is strictly implementing the Montreux Convention and maintaining contact with both sides to prevent the war from spreading to the Black Sea.
Ukraine’s drone strike on the Novokuibyshevsk refinery in Russia’s Samara region on the morning of October 30, along with Russia’s attacks on energy facilities in Ukraine, showed that attacks targeting energy infrastructure had intensified again.
Mediation role
Zelenskyy and Erdoğan last met in Istanbul in April 2026. On September 23, Zelenskyy said he would support a trilateral meeting at the leaders’ level in Türkiye if Erdoğan organized it. Since the beginning of the war, Türkiye has continued its mediation role by hosting direct talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Istanbul.
The Ukrainian side has not yet issued a separate statement on the visit.