Türkiye and Ukraine on Tuesday stressed their will to further lift their bilateral trade volume and expand their partnership, as they also addressed the reconstruction and recovery of the war-torn nation.
That came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Türkiye for talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan amid efforts to find a lasting settlement in Ukraine three years into Russia’s invasion.
It marks Zelenskyy's third visit to Türkiye since Russia sent troops to Ukraine in February 2022. He last visited in March 2024.
Ahead of the leaders' talks, Trade Minister Ömer Bolat met with Ukraine's deputy prime minister and minister of economy, Yulia Sviridenko, and Ukrainian Agriculture Minister Vitaliy Koval.
Officials underscored robust relations despite the war and focused on ways to further strengthen cooperation between their two nations.
Bolat reiterated Türkiye's steadfast support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.
NATO member Türkiye has sought to maintain good relations with its warring Black Sea neighbors, pitching itself as a key go-between and possible peacemaker between the two.
Ankara has provided drones for Ukraine but shied away from Western-led sanctions on Moscow.
It has played a role in brokering several prisoner swap deals between Russia and Ukraine and helped put in place a deal in 2022 to ensure grain could be shipped safely from Ukraine's Black Sea ports. The accord remained in effect for a year.
During a roundtable meeting in Ankara, Bolat highlighted that the bilateral trade volume between Türkiye and Ukraine reached $6.2 billion (TL 224.90 billion) last year and said a free trade deal would easily help lift that figure further.
"With the free trade agreement, we believe that the mutual trade between Türkiye and Ukraine will very soon reach a volume of $10 billion," said the minister.
The deal was signed in February 2022. Bolat said Türkiye has completed its internal approval processes and that the agreement would be implemented once Ukraine finishes its processes.
Bolat also referred to investments, noting that Türkiye has approximately $3.5 billion worth of investments in Ukraine. He added that Ukraine's investments in Türkiye stand at about $16 million.
He also underscored the pivotal role of the construction sector, with Turkish companies, which have to date completed 12,450 projects worth $540 billion worldwide, playing a leading role in Ukraine’s post-independence construction.
Bolat said Turkish builders are ready to provide all kinds of support in the reconstruction of Ukraine's infrastructure and superstructure. "With the experience of our companies, we will do our best for the reconstruction of Ukraine in the post-war period."
In August of 2022, Erdoğan and Zelenskyy oversaw a signing of an accord allowing Turkish construction firms to take part in the reconstruction of Ukrainian infrastructure.
Under the deal, the two nations established a group responsible for coordinating work to rebuild facilities of social and economic importance, including roads, bridges, water and electricity infrastructure, hospitals and schools.
Bolat said the Türkiye-Ukraine Reconstruction Task Force was established in Istanbul last year. Its first meeting will be held in Kyiv next month, he added.
The minister also added that they are continuing their initiatives before the European Union for Türkiye to take part in the 50 billion euro ($52.27 billion) fund created for the reconstruction of Ukraine.
For her part, Sviridenko emphasized Ukraine's need for investment, welcoming the involvement of Turkish companies in the reconstruction and recovery process.
She said Türkiye stood by her country in times of need and provided support in many areas, from humanitarian aid to the grain corridor.
Sviridenko said the economic partnership between the two countries remained strong despite the war.
"Turkish companies are important and strategic partners for us. We hope that you will play a big role in Ukraine's recovery and reconstruction," she noted.
Sviridenko said that Turkish companies did not leave the country and continued their work despite the war.
"We will fight to the end for the rights of every single investor. According to the World Bank, there is a loss of $500 billion. Therefore, Ukraine needs a huge investment, and Turkish companies have an opportunity in this recovery and reconstruction," she noted.
"We think we can benefit from your expertise, engineering knowledge and experience."
Sviridenko particularly mentioned Turkish unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) maker Baykar, whose Bayraktar TB2 combat drones gained prominence globally after being used by Ukraine's military against Russian forces.
She said Bayraktar is a brand "known even by our children."
Baykar expects to complete a Ukrainian factory this year. The factory is expected to produce TB2 or its heavier payload-capable variant TB3.
Addressing the meeting in Ankara, Ukraine's Koval highlighted the potential for strategic partnerships between Turkish and Ukrainian companies, especially in the agricultural sector.
"I would like to invite Turkish companies to cooperate, there is definitely a lot we can do. Especially in agriculture, in the processing of agricultural products, we can establish very good partnerships by taking advantage of your market information, access to finance, technologies and experience," he said.
Koval stressed what he said was major potential to increase vegetable production in Ukraine.
"Currently, Ukraine's vegetable imports are around $500 million, most of which comes from Türkiye. We can do much in terms of processing grain and producing flour. These productions are also increasing. You can support the expansion of this in partnership with Ukraine."
