Turkey presidential spokesman meets Zelensky in Kiev

KIEV

İbrahim Kalın, chief presidential foreign policy advisor has paid an unannounced visit to Kiev to meet with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky and underline Turkey’s continued efforts to end the war between Russia and Ukraine.

Kalın, accompanied by a delegation including deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Önal, held talks with Zelensky and his top advisors on April 30. The Turkish delegation also met Turkish citizens in Kiev and the representatives of Crimean Tatars at an iftar dinner hosted by the Turkish Ambassador.

“Our primary objective is to end this war through negotiations and dialogue. But as the war continues, the conditions are getting more difficult. Particularly, ending attacks on civilians requires much more urgency,” Kalın told Turkish media in Kiev.

He explained he had discussed with Zelensky all these issues and the need for evacuation from Mariupol by creating humanitarian corridors, informing that Ukraine officials thanked Turkey for its support to their country since the start of the war.

Turkey had gathered Russian and Ukrainian officials together in March and April in Antalya and İstanbul respectively, but no breakthrough could be achieved. “Continuing the Istanbul Process can play a key role in ending this war. We intensively continue our work to this end,” he said.

Also informing about President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s talks with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Kalın said these meetings were aiming to clarify what role the UN will play on the humanitarian dimension of the crisis, including the evacuation of civilians and delivering assistance.

He noted that everyone must work in cooperation to see an end to the war, urging to avoid moves that can prolong the conflict in Ukraine. When questioned, the advisor said Turkey’s contacts with Russia do also continue as mediation efforts require keeping in touch with both sparring parties.