Turkiye’s foreign minister met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday to discuss restoring a pact with Russia that allows for the safe transit of grain over the Black Sea.
Hakan Fidan was photographed shaking hands with Zelensky, according to the Turkish Foreign Ministry.
Diplomats have previously stated that the negotiations will centre on the UN and Turkiye-brokered grain accord, which Russia withdrew from last month.
In a statement issued after meetings with Fidan, Zelensky stated that “many important issues were discussed,” highlighting the “risks posed by Russia’s blockade of the Black Sea grain corridor.”
Tensions in the crucial waterway have risen since Russia abandoned a pact reached by Turkiye and the UN last month that guaranteed safe passage for Ukrainian grain supplies from three southern ports.
The first civilian ship to leave Ukraine in violation of Russia’s embargo landed in Istanbul earlier this month.