Ukrainian president ready to meet with Putin in Istanbul: Foreign Minister Sybiha

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha on Friday said Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy is ready to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Istanbul to discuss peace, adding Kyiv wants to end the war with Moscow through political negotiations.

"President Zelenskyy is ready to come and meet with President Putin here, of course, with (Turkish) President Erdogan and maybe (US) President Trump," Sybiha told Anadolu in an exclusive interview.

"Ukraine will never accept any formula, any initiative at the cost of our territorial integrity and sovereignty. We are committed to peace efforts. We want to end this war and our people's suffering. We are ready to speed up peace efforts," he added.

"We are ready for the unconditional ceasefire, and we have doable proposals on how to proceed. It is not acceptable and possible for us to withdraw troops from Donbas, as the Russian side demands; it is not possible," he declared.

The Ukrainian foreign minister stressed that the process must move forward solely and entirely through diplomatic means.

Trade volume between Ukraine, Türkiye

He noted that trade volume between Ukraine and Türkiye was expanding and said that the Free Trade Agreement was currently in the ratification process in Kyiv.

Sybiha underlined that the Black Sea should be "a sea of peace," expressing hope that cooperation between the two countries would contribute to security in the Black Sea.

He also stressed that Ukraine expects Turkish companies to take part in reconstruction efforts, praising them for providing high-quality and swift services.

He expressed hope that the most recent meeting between President Erdogan and President Zelenskyy would mark a turning point in strengthening bilateral relations.

"You (Türkiye) have a unique diplomatic experience. You have the appropriate political and diplomatic tools to proceed with such a very difficult task. Ukraine is ready for such a type of meeting in your country," he added.

Ukraine interested in improving relations with Syria

On Syria, Sybiha said Ukraine was interested in improving relations with the country.

He noted that during the trilateral meeting between Türkiye, Ukraine and Syria, the sides discussed cooperation on key issues such as agriculture, security cooperation and logistics.

He said Ukraine and Türkiye were cooperating in agriculture to supply wheat to Syria, expressing Kyiv's readiness to contribute to food security in Syria.

Sybiha also said Ukraine was restoring trade relations with Syria and had lifted sanctions.

Regarding Zelenskyy’s visits to Gulf countries, Sybiha said Ukraine had reached long-term defense agreements with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar.

He added that drone agreements between European countries and Ukraine were an important element of the continent’s security system and that such cooperation strengthened all sides.

Stressing the importance of reducing dependence on critical materials and equipment, he called Türkiye "maybe the best example of this."

Noting that Türkiye is able to produce more than 80% of its army's needs, he said that Ukraine has reached a 40% production rate during the war.

*Writing by Esra Tekin