Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will travel to Istanbul on Friday to meet with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan about the battle against Russia and Black Sea shipping, according to the Turkish presidency.
“The situation between Ukraine and Russia, as well as the most recent contacts regarding the restarting of a secure corridor in the Black Sea,” the presidency stated on Thursday in a statement on X, formerly Twitter.
The two presidents will meet at Istanbul’s Dolmabahce Palace, with a press conference scheduled for 7:00 p.m. (1600 GMT), the ministry said.
Zelensky last visited Turkey in July 2023, where he held extensive conversations with Erdogan, who also has deep links to Moscow.
When Zelensky returned to Kyiv, he brought back five top commanders from the Azov unit, who were meant to remain in Turkey until the end of the conflict as part of a prisoner exchange agreement with Moscow.
Members of the regiment played an important role in holding Mariupol until it was captured by Russian forces in May 2022.