UPDATE - Zelenskyy says he agreed with President Erdogan to work on Black Sea grain corridor

ADDS REMARKS BY UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT; CHANGES HEADLINE, LEDE

By Kanyshai Butun

ISTANBUL (AA) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday that he had agreed with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to work on the Black Sea grain corridor.

“Today, I reached an agreement with President Erdogan to work on the Black Sea grain corridor. Our goal is to ensure that this corridor remains in place and continues to function effectively,” he said during a joint news conference in Istanbul, following talks with Erdogan.

Türkiye was instrumental in establishing the first Black Sea grain corridor of 2022-2023.

Zelenskyy said Türkiye supports efforts to ensure safe navigation in the Black Sea and restore normal living conditions.

“Türkiye consistently supports our efforts to ensure our sovereignty and territorial integrity, secure safe navigation in the Black Sea, and restore normal living conditions in the Black Sea region,” he said.

He also described Türkiye and Ukraine as allies in defense and the defense industry, saying their cooperation would continue to grow.

“We are working on new joint industrial ventures and other economic projects. The free trade agreement between our nations has entered into force, creating new opportunities for both the Ukrainian and Turkish business communities,” he said.

He added that progress on freedom of navigation would help unlock the agreement's full potential, while energy and infrastructure projects offered significant opportunities for both countries.

“Especially at a time when the Russians have intensified their terrorist attacks on the energy infrastructure of our cities and villages, every energy project we undertake with our partners carries great importance,” he said.

Zelenskyy said he also met representatives from Turkish energy companies and expected supplies of generators and other energy equipment to increase in the coming week.

He urged the swift implementation of agreements reached at the presidential level and thanked Türkiye for its continued support, saying cooperation in security and the economy was growing stronger despite difficult circumstances.

Zelenskyy also said Ukraine was preparing for trilateral talks with Russia and the US scheduled for the first half of November.

"We discussed the prospects of this format and other possibilities with the president, specifically the potential for including Türkiye and the rest of Europe in the process, as well as the possibility of holding meetings here in Türkiye," he said.

He stressed that “strong decisions are needed to achieve peace” and urged a clear message to be delivered to Russia at every level that there was no alternative to peace and that support for Ukraine would not weaken.

He said de-escalation was possible if Russia was compelled to take steps to reduce tensions.

Following the news conference, Zelenskyy described the meeting as “important and substantive,” noting that it took place on International Black Sea Day and focused largely on regional issues.

He said they discussed food security, joint industrial and economic projects, as well as energy and infrastructure cooperation.

“I’m grateful to President Erdoğan for our clear and substantive cooperation and for Türkiye’s readiness to support all promising ideas that can bring us closer to real peace and security,” he wrote on US social media platform X.