Zelensky hopes deals will be sealed ahead of meeting with Erdogan

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
7 Jul 2023 14:32

The Kremlin said it plans to "closely follow" the talks between the two leaders.

AP photo

On Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that he expects to discuss with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan a number of pressing issues on Ukraine's national agenda, including the Black Sea grain initiative, the prisoner swap program, and Ukraine's bid for NATO membership.

The two leaders are scheduled to meet today in Istambul, Turkey.

"We have several issues. The grain initiative. A very important issue of support for Ukraine in NATO. The exchange of prisoners. There are many things that we will talk about, and I believe that we will have agreements with the President of Turkiye," Zelensky was quoted by the presidential office on Friday as saying at a press conference following a meeting with his Czech counterpart, Petr Pavel.

The trip to Turkey marks Zelensky's first since April 2021. The last time the two leaders met was in August 2022, in the Ukrainian city of Lvov.

The Kremlin said it plans to "closely follow" the talks between the two leaders, noting that the meeting is "important."

"We will very closely follow the results of these talks," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters."It will be interesting for us to find out what was discussed. It's important."

Peskov added that relations with Ankara are in very good standing with Moscow and said that Erdogan has made considerable contributions in his mediation efforts -- particularly through the implementation of the Black Sea grain initiative which he brokered with the UN.

"Mr. Erdogan has repeatedly made great efforts to end various problems within the framework of the Ukrainian conflict and played a mediating role," the spokesman said, adding that Moscow "did not exclude" talks between President Vladimir Putin and Erdogan.

As the grain deal is scheduled to expire on July 18, Sputnik reported on June 26, citing sources, that the forthcoming meeting for negotiating the extension of the UN-brokered grain deal may reach critical levels of intensity at the beginning of July, which is set to expire on the 18th of that month.

A week ago, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin said that July 18 may potentially be the last day of the grain deal initiative.

"There is a high probability that negotiations will enter an active phase from the beginning of July," the source said, adding that "there is such a possibility" that they will be at the highest level.

On June 22, Ambassador at Large with the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, Olga Trofimtseva, said that she is 99.9% certain that Russia will abandon the deal in July.