Zelenskyy handed over a list of Ukrainian citizens detained by Russia during meeting with Erdoğan

As part of his working visit to Türkiye, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with President of the Republic of Türkiye Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The negotiations took place in a narrow circle and with the participation of delegations.

“Talks between Ukraine and Türkiye are always sincere and fruitful. The obvious priority is that we are trying to enhance our security and our strength as much as possible, to quickly restore a just peace for all our land and all our people, and for the Black Sea region,” said the Head of the Ukrainian state during a meeting with media representatives following the negotiations with the President of Türkiye in Istanbul.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the people of Türkiye for their support of our state’s independence and territorial integrity and all our people. He separately expressed gratitude to the Turkish leader for efforts to release Ukrainian citizens from Russian captivity.

“Thanks to Türkiye’s mediation, we have achieved significant humanitarian results. We are now counting on further efforts. Today, I submitted a list of our Ukrainian citizens, including Crimean Tatars, who have been repressed by Russia in Ukraine’s occupied territories and are being held in Russian prisons and camps under extremely harsh and inhumane conditions.

We must release them all, both warriors and civilians, those who were captured while defending their people, and those who suffer Russian repression simply because of who they are — Ukrainians, Crimean Tatars, everyone… Such as Nariman Dzhelyal, Lenie Umerova, Server Mustafayev, and all other unlawfully detained persons,” said the President.

During the meeting, the parties also paid significant attention to the implementation of the Peace Formula and preparations for the Global Peace Summit at the leaders’ level, organized in Switzerland. “It is obvious that Türkiye’s special role deserves your country’s leadership to be demonstrated at the peace summit and in the joint work of the world majority for the full implementation of the Peace Formula,” said the Head of the Ukrainian state.

At the same time, he emphasized that the format of the inaugural peace summit does not include inviting representatives of Russia to participate. “We do not see how it is possible to invite people who are blocking, destroying, and killing everything.
We want to achieve a result – a just peace for Ukraine. Therefore, first, civilized countries of the world will develop a detailed plan and have results, and only then will they involve representatives of Russia – those who are ready for a just peace,” said Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The Presidents of Ukraine and Türkiye also discussed food security and ensuring stability in the Black Sea region.

“The Ukrainian maritime corridor operates with consistent efficiency – almost 30 million tonnes of cargo have already passed through the corridor. We are grateful to our Turkish partners for their constant cooperation. I am confident that we can do much more.

The entire Black Sea needs security, so we need to stop Russian aggression,” said the Head of State. For his part, the President of the Republic of Türkiye emphasized support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence.

“It’s very important for Ukraine to have a strong economy and lasting peace in the future,” said Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. He affirmed Türkiye’s support for Ukraine’s goals regarding Euro-Atlantic integration and expressed readiness to assist in the reconstruction of our state. “We provide strong support for Ukraine’s reconstruction.

In this context, in January, we held a forum on the reconstruction of Ukraine in Istanbul,” said the President of Türkiye. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan also emphasized that Crimean Tatars are steadfastly fighting for the restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity, and his country will continue to support the Crimean Tatar people.

“The Crimean Tatars in Ukraine are one of the important factors in strengthening friendship between our two countries. I thank the President for guaranteeing the rights of our brothers and his work to strengthen their autonomous status. We have always supported the Crimean Tatars and will continue to do so,” said the President of Türkiye.