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Ukrainian foreign minister told Türkiye's state-run Anadolu Agency (AA) at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is ready to travel to Türkiye to meet Turkish president, and potentially U.S. and Russian presidents.
He expressed Kyiv's desire for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to play a mediation role in organizing a direct Zelenskyy-Putin meeting, which he called "a very difficult task" for which Türkiye possesses "unique and fitting diplomatic experience."
Andrii Sybiha was explicit about what Ukraine was asking of Türkiye.
"We are interested in the special role of your great country, for example, the mediating role of organizing a meeting between Zelenskyy and (Vladimir) Putin," he told Anadolu Agency.
He said Zelenskyy had personally asked Erdogan to help in this regard.
"You have unique and fitting diplomatic experience. You see the political and diplomatic tools to make progress on such a difficult task. This is a difficult task for you. Ukraine is ready for such a meeting in your country," Sybiha said.
He then made the invitation explicit: "President Zelenskyy is ready to come here to meet with President Erdogan, and perhaps with President Trump, and with Putin."
Sybiha clearly reiterated Ukraine's negotiating posture.
"Ukraine will never accept any formula or initiative at the expense of its territorial integrity and sovereignty. We are committed to peace efforts. We want this war and people's suffering to end, and we are ready to accelerate for peace efforts," he said.
He described Ukraine's acceptance of current frontline positions and an unconditional ceasefire as itself "a massive, enormous concession" already made.
"We are ready for an unconditional ceasefire and we have workable proposals on how to move forward," he said, while ruling out withdrawal from Donbas or acceptance of Russian sovereignty there as categorically unacceptable.
Sybiha described the bilateral relationship in the strongest terms, noting that the two countries' free trade agreement was in the ratification process in Kyiv, that Turkish firms were expected to participate in Ukraine's reconstruction and that trade volume was expanding.
"You are unique. You can now produce more than 80% of your army's needs. Ukraine has achieved 40% domestic production during the war and we are growing. But you are a wonderful example," he said, praising Türkiye's defense industrial self-sufficiency.
He called for the Black Sea to become "a sea of peace" and said he hoped bilateral cooperation would contribute to Black Sea security, noting Türkiye's strong naval fleet.
On Syria, Sybiha said Ukraine was interested in developing relations with Damascus, noting that Türkiye, Ukraine and Syria had held a trilateral meeting addressing agriculture, security cooperation and logistics.
He said Ukraine and Türkiye were cooperating to supply wheat to Syria and that Ukraine was ready to contribute to food security there.
He also said Ukraine had reached long-term defense agreements with Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar during Zelenskyy's Gulf visits, and that Ukraine was lifting sanctions and restoring trade relations with Syria.
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