PRESS RELEASE : Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with the President of Türkiye in Lviv

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 18 August 2022.

In Lviv, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting with President of the Republic of Türkiye Recep Tayyip Erdoğan who arrived in our country on a visit.

The Head of State noted the importance of this visit: “This is a strong message of support from such a powerful country as Türkiye.”

Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed gratitude to the Republic of Türkiye for its constant support of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.

During a meeting, the interest in further reliable partnership with Türkiye was emphasized. The leaders discussed the entire complex of bilateral relations and agreed that further expansion of cooperation between the states would strengthen both sides.

The Presidents positively assessed the implementation of the grain export initiative. Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted the leading role of Türkiye and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan personally in the launch and implementation of this initiative. The Head of State noted that it helps overcome the global food crisis.

The leaders discussed the possibility of improving the initiative, strengthening the security of its implementation and increasing the volume of relevant exports.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan also discussed the issue of Russia’s large-scale theft of grain in the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine. In particular, it was pointed out that the occupiers appropriated almost 0.5 million tons of grain. The leaders agreed that any trade in stolen goods is unacceptable.

“Russia’s attempts to sell stolen goods must be stopped,” emphasized Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The leaders also discussed the situation around the Zaporizhzhia NPP and nuclear blackmail by the Russian Federation whose actions threaten Ukraine and the whole world with catastrophe. Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that Russian nuclear blackmail at the Zaporizhzhia NPP is one of the biggest risks created by Russia’s war against Ukraine.

According to the Head of State, the mission and duty of every country should be a tough and consistent reaction to any manifestations of nuclear blackmail in order to stop it.

“Russia must withdraw its troops from the plant immediately,” the President of Ukraine emphasized.

In addition, the leaders touched upon the issues of defense interaction, discussed the prospects of cooperation in this direction.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed hope for the participation of the President of Türkiye in the second summit of the Crimea Platform.

The President of Ukraine personally and on behalf of his wife Olena thanked the First Lady of Türkiyefor her participation in the Kyiv Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen, which was held recently.