Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan agreed during their meeting in Istanbul on October 31 to work on making the Black Sea grain corridor more effective. The presidents also discussed preparations for trilateral talks and the possible involvement of Türkiye and European partners in the diplomatic process.
The presidents made the remarks during a joint media appearance after their meeting.
Zelenskyy said the two sides discussed ideas and proposals concerning food security and civilian shipping. He also described Ukraine and Türkiye as natural allies in defense and industry.
“We agreed to work on the grain corridor in the Black Sea to make it effective,” the Ukrainian president said.
Erdoğan said he planned to hold talks with the Russian side after meeting Zelenskyy.
The Turkish president stressed that attacks on civilian vessels and escalation in the Black Sea were unacceptable, regardless of who carried them out or what justification they offered. He reaffirmed support for Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, as well as efforts to achieve peace, mentioning Donald Trump’s diplomatic initiatives.
The prospects for a trilateral negotiating format were another focus of the meeting.
“We discussed the prospects for this format and other opportunities, including the involvement of Türkiye, Europe and all our partners, as well as the possibility of a meeting here in Türkiye,” Zelenskyy said.
The Ukrainian president stressed the need to maintain pressure on Russia so that it would have no alternative to a peaceful settlement.
Zelenskyy also thanked Erdoğan for supporting the humanitarian operation to rescue residents of occupied Oleshky. He said the mission demonstrated that de-escalation was possible when Russia could be compelled to honor agreements.
Alongside security issues, the presidents discussed economic cooperation. Erdoğan said the free trade agreement between Ukraine and Türkiye had entered into force on October 1 and outlined a goal of increasing bilateral trade to $10 billion.
As previously reported by “Holovne in Ukraine,” Türkiye and the United Nations have been working on an agreement to halt strikes in the Black Sea. According to Bloomberg, the initiative envisaged freedom of commercial navigation and protection for port and energy infrastructure.
Zelenskyy had also identified November 6–10 as a possible window for trilateral talks between Ukraine, the United States and Russia. Potential topics include a ceasefire covering energy infrastructure and maritime operations, prisoner exchanges, the return of children and security guarantees.
