ANKARA / ISTANBUL 

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan was received by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said on Friday.

Fidan, who traveled to Ukraine on an official visit, also met Andriy Yermak, head of the Ukrainian presidential office, and Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov.

Yermak, after the meeting, expressed gratitude for Türkiye’s “consistent support, active mediation, and efforts toward a just peace,” adding that Ankara has confirmed its intention to keep backing Ukraine’s sovereignty and diplomatic efforts.

“There is significant potential to expand our defense cooperation with Türkiye,” Yermak wrote on Facebook, underlining the importance of bilateral ties in the defense sector.

Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi also briefed the Turkish delegation on the situation at the front, saying Russian forces continue offensive operations despite heavy losses, Yermak said.

Earlier, the Turkish foreign minister held a joint news conference with his Ukrainian counterpart Andrii Sybiha.

Fidan said Türkiye hopes to host Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy for the next round of peace talks, which would also include US President Donald Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Sybiha said Ukraine is ready to discuss a temporary ceasefire, noting: “We want to end the war this year and are ready to discuss a ceasefire–whether for 30, 50, or 100 days.”

Earlier this week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow was ready for a second round of peace talks in Türkiye and had finalized its memorandum outlining a potential settlement.

On May 16, Russia and Ukraine held their first direct talks in three years in Istanbul, where the two sides notably agreed to a large-scale exchange of prisoners involving a total of 1,000 people from each side.​​​​​​​