President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in New York, where the 79th session of the General Assembly of the United Nations (UN) is being held, the Directorate of Communications reported of the Turkish presidency, quoted by BTA.
Erdogan received Zelensky late last night in the so-called “Turkish House” in New York.
The meeting was attended by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey Hakan Fidan, the head of the National Intelligence Organization (NIS) Ibrahim Kalan, the Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kajar, the Minister of Trade Yomer Bolat, the advisor to the President on Foreign Policy and Security Akif Çagatay Kulç and the head of the Directorate of Communications of the Turkish Presidency, Fahrettin Altun.
President Erdogan confirmed Turkey's readiness to assist in achieving peace between Ukraine and Russia, including through mediation efforts, during the meeting with Zelensky, which took place behind closed doors, Hurriyet reported.
The Turkish leader indicated that from the beginning, Turkey believed that the Russian-Ukrainian war could be ended through dialogue, while preserving the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine. He added that Ankara continues to make efforts to achieve this goal.
Erdogan also stated that efforts to revive the so-called Black Sea Grain Initiative are continuing.