Erdogan, Zelensky, Guterres hold trilateral summit in Ukraine
Friday, 19 August 2022
LVIV (Ukraine), Aug 18 (AP): Turkish and Ukrainian presidents along with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres have met in Ukraine's Lviv city to address the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.
The summit came right after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelensky held a bilateral meeting to discuss all aspects of Ankara-Kiev relations at the strategic partnership level.
Erdogan reached Lviv on a daylong visit on Thursday, in a closely watched trip that involves talks on diplomatic solutions to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine — now into its sixth month.
Erdogan and Zelensky were expected to discuss all aspects of Türkiye-Ukraine relations at the strategic partnership level at the Potocki Palace.
The meeting marked Erdogan's first in-person discussion with Zelensky since Russia's launched its assault on February 24.
Erdogan has met Russian President Vladimir Putin twice in recent months, with the Turkish leader taking the lead in mediating between Ukraine and Russia. Delegations from the two sides have earlier met in Türkiye as part of those efforts.
Thursday's trilateral summit in Lviv would focus on potential political steps to bring an end to the deadly fighting in Ukraine. The issue of Ukrainian grain exports, too, would be on the agenda.
According to a United Nations spokesperson, fighting near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant — Europe's largest — could feature in the talks.
Kiev and Moscow have traded accusations over a series of strikes this month on or near the plant in southern Ukraine amid concerns over a nuclear accident.
As part of his ongoing visit, Guterres will on Friday travel to Ukraine’s Black Sea port of Odessa — one of the ports that has resumed grain shipments after months.
The UN chief will on Saturday visit Istanbul’s Joint Coordination Centre (JCC), which is overseeing the grain exports under a Türkiye-brokered deal.
Ankara has coordinated with Moscow and Kiev to open a sea corridor from Ukraine for grain exports, drawing international praise for its mediator role in a breakthrough that is expected to ease global food shortages as well as inflation.