Zelensky invites Turkey's Erdogan for first Ukraine visit since 2022, envoy says
President Volodymyr Zelensky has invited Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to visit Ukraine in what would be his first official trip to the country since 2022, Ukraine's ambassador to Ankara, Nariman Dzheilal, told RBK-Ukraine news agency on Aug. 4.
Dzheilal added that the Turkish side has not yet confirmed the visit, which would follow the third round of Ukrainian-Russian peace talks held in Istanbul on July 23.
The Turkish president, who has positioned himself as a mediator between Russia and Ukraine during the full-scale war, previously visited Lviv in August 2022, marking his only visit to the country during the invasion so far. He previously met Zelensky in Kyiv on Feb. 3, 2022, weeks before the outbreak of the full-scale war.
One of the key topics on the agenda of the visit would be the ratification of the long-awaited free trade agreement, according to Dzheilal.
Talks on a free trade agreement between Turkey and Ukraine began in 2007. The deal was signed three weeks before Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022, and Turkey ratified it in August 2024. Ukraine has yet to do so.
The agreement would eliminate Turkish import duties on approximately 93.4% industrial goods and 7.6% agricultural products.
The talks would also cover Turkey's "peace efforts" related to Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine.
The third round of Ukraine-Russia negotiations ended without a peace agreement, as with the previous two rounds, though both sides agreed to proceed with new prisoner exchanges.
Ukraine also proposed holding a summit with Erdogan, Zelensky, U.S. President Donald Trump, and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Erdogan said on July 28 that Turkey is ready to hold peace talks between Ukraine and Russia to end the Russian war.
Turkey's president also said on June 26 that Turkey was working to arrange a meeting between Zelensky and Putin, potentially with Trump's participation. According to Erdogan, Trump expressed interest in joining the talks if they were held in Turkey.
Turkey previously facilitated peace talks in March 2022 and remains one of the few countries maintaining open channels with both Kyiv and Moscow.
