Ukraine deserves NATO membership, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said after talks with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky in Istanbul, AHaber reports.
“We have actually demonstrated our solidarity with Ukraine through the concrete assistance we provided. We were the country that did the most to end [военных действий] through negotiations,” Erdogan said, recalling that the last time Russia and Ukraine held a meeting in the framework of a peaceful dialogue was in Istanbul.
In addition, the Turkish leader mentioned Ankara’s participation in the grain deal a year ago and stressed that he hopes to extend the deal “at least every three months, and at best two years.”
The Turkish leader also said that in August Ankara expects the visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss the extension of the grain deal, as well as the issue of a prisoner exchange between Kiev and Moscow. According to Erdogan, until then, the discussion of issues will continue by phone.
Zelensky on his Telegram channel said that he had discussed with his Turkish colleague “joint projects of Ukraine and Turkey” in the military-industrial complex, including the production of drones, as well as cooperation in the field of technology development. In addition, according to Zelensky, he invited Ankara to participate in the restoration of Ukraine. The Ukrainian leader expressed gratitude to Turkey! for unwavering support for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine.”
According to AHaber, this visit by Zelensky to Turkey is the first since the start of the Russian special operation.
Source: Rosbalt
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