Ukraine is seeing Türkiye as a partner in security guarantees, and is ready to ratify a free trade agreement between the states, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Thursday.
Zelenskyy's statements came following a meeting with a Turkish delegation led by Trade Minister Ömer Bolat and Agriculture Minister Ibrahim Yumaklı in Kyiv. The talks focused on bilateral ties, cooperation in drone production, and Turkish firms' involvement in Ukraine's reconstruction.
NATO member Türkiye has balanced ties with Kyiv and Moscow since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. It has maintained good ties with both, supporting Ukraine militarily and backing its territorial integrity, while refusing to join sanctions on Russia.
As Europe scrambles to bolster its own defense and security, while seeking guarantees for Kyiv under any possible cease-fire deal with Moscow urged by Washington, Türkiye has emerged as a key potential security partner.
"It is important that Turkish businesses are already present in Ukraine. Our country appreciates this, as well as Türkiye's support and assistance, particularly the supply of Bayraktar drones," Zelenskyy said on social media platform X.
He was referring to Bayraktar TB2 unmanned combat aerial vehicles developed by Turkish drone powerhouse Baykar that helped Ukraine's military counter Russian forces early into the invasion.
"Ukraine considers Türkiye one of its strategic partners, as well as a partner in terms of security guarantees, and is ready to ratify the Free Trade Agreement with Türkiye during President (Recep Tayyip) Erdogan's upcoming visit," Zelenskyy added, without specifying when he would visit.
Zelenskyy was in Türkiye nearly a month ago for talks with Erdoğan amid efforts to find a lasting settlement in Ukraine. That marked his third visit to Türkiye since Russia sent troops to Ukraine three years ago.
During the meeting on Thursday, "we discussed efforts to bring a just and lasting peace closer, the development of bilateral relations, opportunities for cooperation in the production of various types of drones, and the participation of Turkish companies in Ukraine's reconstruction," Zelenskyy said.
Bolat and Yumaklı also attended the first meeting of a task force between Türkiye and Ukraine for the reconstruction of the country after the war.
The group, set up as part of a deal signed in August 2022, will be responsible for coordinating work to rebuild facilities of social and economic importance, including roads, bridges, water and electricity infrastructure, hospitals and schools.
Bolat reaffirmed Türkiye's readiness to assist Ukraine with its reconstruction and expand economic and trade cooperation.
The meeting was attended by more than 20 companies in Türkiye’s contracting and technical consultancy sectors as well as Ukrainian state and private sector representatives involved in the country’s reconstruction, he wrote on X.
He said Turkish contractors were ready to share their experience and knowledge for future projects.
The Turkish builders have already undertaken urgent projects during the war, including roads, bridges, energy infrastructure and housing construction, amounting to $1.2 billion across 100 projects, according to the Trade Ministry.
To date, companies have completed some 350 projects in Ukraine worth $10 billion.
The meeting with Zelenskyy also centered on the course of economic and trade relations as well as a roadmap for the future, Bolat said.
"We reiterated our determination to achieve the $10 billion trade volume target set by Mr. Zelenskyy together with our President, our willingness to put our Free Trade Agreement into effect, and our readiness to transfer the experience and know-how of Turkish Contractors to Ukraine in the reconstruction of Ukraine and to undertake the projects to be carried out," he noted.
Yumaklı also reiterated the determination to reach the targeted trade volume based on the principle of mutual "win-win."
Bolat and Yumaklı later met Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal to discuss steps to further advance trade and economic cooperation between the states.
"We once again emphasized our strong support as Türkiye for Ukraine's territorial integrity, independence and sovereignty, and drew attention to the importance of dialogue for the establishment of peace and tranquility in our region," Bolat said.
In a later video statement, Zelenskyy said called Türkiye "our friends, our important partners."
"Many things truly united our nations, and we are grateful to Türkiye for its support of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as for backing our efforts for peace," he said.
"Today, we discussed further cooperation, including mutual investments, the engagement of Turkish businesses in Ukraine, and how our entrepreneurs can expand their operations in Türkiye."
The talks also focused on steps to be taken regarding food security, according to Yumaklı, who said they laid out a road map for agricultural exports to third countries together with Ukraine.
Türkiye had brokered a Black Sea grain deal that had allowed Ukraine to safely export grain from its Black Sea ports. The deal stayed in force for a year before Russia quit the initiative in mid-2023.
“We emphasized the importance of food security for the entire world, as seen in the grain corridor," Yumaklı wrote on X.
"We assessed the opportunities for cooperation in the field of agriculture, especially in the renovation of agricultural irrigation infrastructure in areas damaged by war."
Yumaklı said he also had a concrete meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Vitaliy Koval to take more tangible steps.
"We formed committees to reopen Türkiye’s exports of dairy products. I am confident that we will soon have good news for our sector."
Yumaklı mentioned that they also made initiatives for the export of agricultural equipment to Ukraine.
He conveyed the message that both the ministry and the private sector are ready for the reconstruction of water and irrigation infrastructure damaged by the war.
