Ukrainian President Zelenskyy to meet Erdoğan in Istanbul on Saturday for talks on war and Black Sea security

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will travel to Türkiye on Saturday for a working visit at the invitation of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the Turkish presidency said Friday.

The two leaders will meet in Istanbul on Oct. 31 and discuss steps to deepen bilateral cooperation between Türkiye and Ukraine, as well as regional and international developments.

Türkiye’s Directorate of Communications said the talks would focus in particular on the Russia-Ukraine war and the security situation in the Black Sea.

The meeting comes as Türkiye continues to position itself as a potential venue for renewed negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow while also emphasizing maritime security and the protection of commercial shipping in the Black Sea.

Zelenskyy and Erdoğan last met in New York in September, where they discussed Black Sea security, the restoration of Ukraine’s maritime export corridor and possible Turkish involvement in future peace talks.

Kyiv has said it is open to Türkiye hosting a leaders-level meeting as part of efforts to end the war.