ANKARA (Reuters) – President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Thursday that Ukraine saw Turkey as a partner in security guarantees for his country, and added that Kyiv was ready to ratify a free trade agreement between the states.
NATO member Turkey has balanced ties with Kyiv and Moscow since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. It has maintained good ties with both, supporting Ukraine militarily and backing its territorial integrity, while refusing to join sanctions on Russia.
As Europe scrambles to bolster its own defence and security, while seeking guarantees for Kyiv under any possible ceasefire deal with Moscow urged by Washington, Turkey has emerged as a key potential security partner.
On Thursday, Zelenskiy met Turkish Trade Minister Omer Bolat and Agriculture Minister Ibrahim Yumakli in Kyiv, and discussed bilateral ties, cooperation in drone production, and Turkish firms’ involvement in Ukraine’s reconstruction.
“It is important that Turkish businesses are already present in Ukraine. Our country appreciates this, as well as Türkiye’s support and assistance, particularly the supply of Bayraktar drones,” Zelenskiy said on X.
“Ukraine considers Türkiye one of its strategic partners, as well as a partner in terms of security guarantees, and is ready to ratify the Free Trade Agreement with Türkiye during President (Tayyip) Erdogan’s upcoming visit,” he added, without specifying when he would visit.
Bolat and Yumakli also attended the first meeting of a task force between Turkey and Ukraine for the reconstruction of the country after the war.
Bolat said on X the meeting was attended by more than 20 companies in Turkey’s contracting and technical consultancy sectors as well as Ukrainian state and private sector representatives involved in the country’s reconstruction.
He said Turkish contractors were ready to share their experience and knowledge for future projects.
(Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu; Editing by Daren Butler and Gerry Doyle)
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