The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, said that this Sunday he had a telephone conversation with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
During the telephone conversation, Erdogan reiterated Turkey's readiness to support the negotiation process, including its mediating role.
For his part, the Ukrainian president says he asked Erdogan on the eve of his meeting with Putin to allow the evacuation of civilians from Mariupol inside the Azovstal steel plant.
"I had an important telephone conversation with President Erdogan. On the eve of his talks with Putin, I stressed the need for the immediate evacuation of civilians from Mariupol, including the Azovstal steel plant, and even for trapped troops. We also discussed the negotiation process, coordination with Turkey and other countries on security guarantees for our country. "Issues related to Ukraine's defense capabilities and global food security, which is threatened by the blockade of navigation in the Black Sea, were also part of the conversation," Zelensky said.
A few days ago, Erdogan said he still hoped Putin and Zelensky would meet in Istanbul to end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.