Istanbul (AFP) – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan received Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky in Istanbul Saturday for talks on energy and navigation security, and efforts to end the war with Russia, the Turkish presidency said. The visit came a day after Erdogan spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who accused Kyiv of attempting to target the gas pipeline between Russia and Turkey supplying several European countries.
Erdogan “stressed the importance that Turkey attaches to the safety of navigation in the Black Sea and the crucial nature of the security of energy supply,” his office said. The two leaders had discussed relations between the countries, “peace efforts in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and regional and international developments,” it added. Zelensky said they had discussed “steps to implement joint projects in developing gas infrastructure, as well as opportunities for joint development of gas fields.”
There was a heavy police presence around the lavish Dolmabahce Palace on the shores of the Bosphorus, which also hosted several rounds of talks between Moscow and Kyiv in the past. Zelensky was also due to meet Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the spiritual leader of most Christian Orthodox churches, a week before the Orthodox Easter, celebrated in Ukraine and Russia on April 12.
Kyiv has been pushing for a truce over the Orthodox Easter holidays that would include a halt in attacks on energy infrastructure. Russia, which is seeking a permanent settlement rather than a brief ceasefire, said it had not seen any “clearly formulated” proposals from Kyiv. Ukraine has struck Russian energy infrastructure throughout the more than four-year war in a bid to weaken Moscow’s ability to finance its offensive.
Russian strikes on Ukrainian energy facilities have cut power and heating to millions of people since the beginning of the war in 2022.
© 2024 AFP
