Amid War, Ukraine's Zelensky To Meet Erdogan In Turkey Today

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will visit Istanbul on Friday for talks with Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the war against Russia and Black Sea navigation, the Turkish presidency said.

"The situation between Ukraine and Russia and the latest contacts regarding the restarting of a secure corridor in the Black Sea" will be at the centre of their meeting, the presidency said on Thursday in a message on X, formerly Twitter.

The two leaders will meet at the Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul, with a news conference scheduled for 7:00 pm (1600 GMT), the ministry added.

Zelensky last visited Turkey in July 2023 when he held lengthy talks with Erdogan, who also has close ties with Moscow.

When he returned to Kyiv, Zelensky brought back five top commanders from the Azov regiment who were supposed to have remained in Turkey until the end of the conflict under a prisoner exchange deal with Moscow.

Members of the regiment played a key role in defending the city of Mariupol until it fell to the Russians in May 2022.

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