Zelenskyy in turkey for High-stakesโข Talks โto End Russia’s War
ANKARA, Turkey – Ukrainian โขPresident Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Istanbul, Turkey, โon Friday for meetings โฃwith Turkish โPresident Recepโข Tayyip Erdoฤan aimed at securing a just and lasting peace to end Russia’s ongoing โwar in Ukraine. The visit comes as fighting continues in eastern Ukraine, including recent drone strikes โin Dnipro that injured two people and damaged six residential buildings, as well as the officesโ ofโ Ukraine’s public broadcaster Suspilne.
Zelenskyy’s trip underscores Turkey’s role as a key mediator in the conflict, having previously hosted peace talks between Ukrainian and Russian delegations.โค While a โbreakthrough is not guaranteed, the discussions are critical as Ukraine seeks international support to end the war on terms that respect its sovereignty and territorial integrity. The conflict, now entering its third year, has displaced millions โขand caused widespreadโ destruction, with significant implications for global securityโ and โenergy markets.
Turkey โhasโ maintained a delicate balancing act throughout โคthe war, providing Ukraine with military aid while also seeking to maintain economic ties with Russia.President Erdoฤan has repeatedly offered to host further negotiationsโ and has emphasized the importance of a ceasefire.
The visit also comes amid โคgrowing domestic political pressure for Zelenskyy, who is facing scrutiny over a $100 million embezzlement andโ kickback scandal involving top officialsโข and Ukraine’s state nuclear power company. The โscandal led to the resignations of two members ofโ his cabinet last week. Former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has demanded the โdismissal of the entire Ukrainian government, โstaging a protest inโข the Verkhovna rada, ukraine’s Parliament, halting the parliamentary session. Zelenskyy has pledged to address corruption,but has faced previous graft scandals that haveโ fueled public outrage. He is scheduled to meet with senior officials and parliamentary leaders on Thursday to discuss the matter.
Associated Press writers Suzan Fraser, Suman Naishadham and Matthew Lee contributed to this report.