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Ukraine's Deputy Foreign Minister Oleksandr Mischenko told Turkish journalists in Kyiv that Ukraine is fully prepared to hold peace negotiations in Türkiye.
The Ukrainian minister called it one of the most comfortable venues and praised President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as one of the world's most genuinely influential leaders.
He also said Ukraine would never, under any circumstances, target Türkiye's territorial waters, Türkiye-flagged ships or any vessel belonging to Türkiye.
Mischenko, who studied Turkish and served as Ukraine's Istanbul consul general and later as Ambassador to Ankara, stated that Türkiye is a military ally, political partner and strategic friend.
"Türkiye President Erdogan is among the most respected, important, and genuinely influential leaders in the world," Mischenko said.
"We are very clear about possible negotiations in Türkiye; we are ready, we accept," he added.
He noted that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had himself named Türkiye as one of the most comfortable countries for a possible meeting with Putin.
"For us, it doesn't matter much which country it will be. Among the most comfortable countries is Türkiye," Mischenko said. He also expressed gratitude to the Turkish government, authorities, and people for their contribution to the return of Ukrainian citizens held captive.
On the question of whether a ceasefire was near, Mischenko said it depended on guarantees.
He said Ukraine and its international partners were working separately on security guarantee frameworks and that any such guarantees would need to go through approval processes in the countries offering them.
"The Budapest Memorandum turned out to be completely ineffective. Ukraine's red line is the inviolability of its territorial integrity and sovereignty," Mischenko said.
He added that Ukraine demanded a full prisoner exchange and the reconstruction of Ukraine funded by the resources of the aggressor state.
Mischenko said he saw no sign that Putin was ready to negotiate and argued Russia's strategy was to divide the international community and pressure Ukraine's leadership into accepting capitulation.
He said Ukraine was particularly pleased by recent developments in Hungary, noting that the Hungarian people had reaffirmed their European identity and that constructive talks with the new Hungarian government were now proceeding with positive momentum.
Addressing allegations that Ukraine had struck Türkiye-flagged or Türkiye-owned vessels in the Black Sea, Mischenko was direct.
"Ukraine targets ships in Russian-controlled areas or in neutral waters when they are carrying supplies to Russia. If certain incidents occur, those are technical misunderstandings. Relevant authorities are in contact, and the necessary information is being shared. There is no room for misunderstanding," he said.
"The Ukrainian state will never, under any circumstances, designate Türkiye's territorial waters, or anything Türkiye-flagged or belonging to Türkiye, as a target," Mischenko stated.
On Western support, Mischenko pushed back strongly against claims that allied backing was diminishing.
"I do not think Western support has decreased. Its quality has increased," he said.
He noted that Ukraine's defense capacity at the start of the war was extremely limited, "the enemy had reached Kyiv," but that as weapons arrived, Ukraine's military capabilities grew.
He said Ukraine's drone production, boosted by Western support, had now surpassed Russia's drone capabilities.
"We are developing our long-range strike capability further. When Putin started this war, he never imagined it would spill into his own territory. Today, missiles are in Moscow. Russia is actually feeling the war now," Mischenko said.
As part of the press trip organized by Ukraine's Ankara Embassy, Turkish journalists, including Türkiye's state-run Anadolu Agency (AA) correspondents, also visited the Sumy region in northeastern Ukraine, which lies approximately 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) from the Russian border and maintains a 300-kilometer active frontier with Russia.
Journalists visited the 21st Separate Mechanized Brigade, viewed training areas and equipment, and spoke with Ukrainian soldiers. They also observed anti-drone net corridors built in the region to protect against Russian drone strikes.
Sumy Military Administration First Deputy Head Volodymyr Babych said 17,000 residential and construction sites in the region had been damaged since the start of the war and that air raid sirens sounded multiple times daily.
He said he looked forward to the day when they could live in peace with their neighbors.
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