Erdoğan visits Ukraine: 'War will end at negotiating table'

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Paying a one-day visit to Ukraine's Lviv yesterday (August 18), President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met his counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy and later attended a tripartite meeting with Zelenskyy and UN chief Antonio Guterres.

Following the bilateral meeting, Türkiye and Ukraine signed an agreement for the reconstruction of Ukraine's infrastructure, which has been devastated due to Russia's invasion.

The deal signed by the trade ministers of the two countries covers the forming of a task force, which will coordinate the construction of roads, bridges, water and electricity infrastructure, hospitals, schools and so on.

On the sidelines of Erdoğan-Zelenskyy meeting, National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar met his counterpart from Ukraine, Oleksii Reznikov.

"We don't want another Chernobyl"

At the joint press conference following the trilateral meeting, Erdoğan voiced concern over ongoing clashes around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in Ukraine.

"We expressed our concern about the ongoing conflict around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. We do not want to experience a new Chernobyl," he said.

"We also evaluated the possibilities of transforming the positive atmosphere created by the İstanbul agreement into permanent peace," Erdoğan said.

Türkiye, the UN, Russia and Ukraine signed a deal in İstanbul on July 22 to reopen three Ukraine's Black Sea ports for exporting Ukrainian grain stuck due to the war, which is now in its sixth month.

Erdoğan said the entire world is feeling the "positive effects" of the agreement, which enabled the export of Ukrainian grain via the Black Sea.

Since the first ship left a Ukrainian port on August 1, approximately 625,000 tons of Ukrainian grain have been delivered to world markets through 25 ships, he said.

"Negotiating table"

"We've been temporarily hosting nearly 325,000 Ukrainians. We've admitted a total of 1,507 people, including 1,099 orphans and 408 care staff, until conditions in Ukraine return to normal," he also noted.

Erdoğan called on the international community to assume greater responsibility in diplomacy between Russia and Ukraine.

"What matters is finding the shortest and fairest way to the negotiating table," he said.

The president said he believes the war will "eventually end at the negotiating table," a view shared by Zelenskyy and Guterres.

"We're ready to act as a facilitator or mediator towards the goal of reviving negotiations upon the parameters that took form in İstanbul," he said, adding that Türkiye will discuss the outcome of these meetings with Russia's Vladimir Putin.

"Damage to Zaporizhzhia is suicide"

On the Zaporizhzhia crisis, UN chief Guterres said he is "gravely concerned" about the situation in and around Europe's largest nuclear power plant.

"Common sense must prevail to avoid any actions that might endanger the physical integrity, safety or security of the nuclear plant. The facility must not be used as part of any military operation," he stressed.

All military equipment and personnel should be withdrawn from the plant and the area needs to be demilitarized, he said.

"We must tell it like it is – any potential damage to Zaporizhzhia is suicide."

"Grain deal helps the vulnerable"

Guterres said the landmark İstanbul grain deal was signed to help vulnerable people in every corner of the world.

"Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, I have been clear: There is no solution to the global food crisis without ensuring full global access to Ukraine's food products and Russian food and fertilizers," said the UN secretary-general.

Guterres said he was pleased that the first UN-chartered vessel carrying Ukrainian wheat was on its way to people suffering from the "worst drought" in decades in the Horn of Africa.

"Getting food and fertilizer out of Ukraine and Russia in larger quantities is crucial to further calm commodity markets and lower prices," he said.

Guterres said the UN will also continue to make all possible efforts to provide humanitarian support to Ukrainians in need.

"Russia should withdraw immediately"

For his part, Zelenskyy called on Russia to "immediately withdraw" its troops from Zaporizhzhia "without any conditions."

"At the same time, Russia must end all attacks and provocations," he said.

"For peace talks to begin, Russia must first leave the occupied territories. Then we will see," he added.

Zelenskyy hailed Türkiye and Erdoğan for their "leading role" in the grain shipment deal that he said was "crucial for preventing a global food crisis."

On the deal with Ankara for reconstruction of Ukrainian infrastructure, he said: "The realization of our goals will make both Ukraine and Türkiye stronger." (AS/VK)