President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held a meeting with Ukraine's top diplomat Andrii Sybiha at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, the Presidential Communications Directorate said Monday.
Ukraine's new foreign minister previously served as its ambassador to Ankara, from 2016 to 2021.
His visit to Türkiye comes as Russia's war on Ukraine, which began in February 2022, enters its third year.
Sybiha said he and President Erdoğan had discussed safe navigation for shipping in the Black Sea.
"I conveyed Ukraine's interest in further developing cooperation between Ukraine and Türkiye, especially in defense area," Sybiha wrote on the social platform X.
"I also underscored the importance of ensuring freedom of navigation in the Black Sea. We also discussed ways to a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace."
Sybiha had earlier called for support to stop intensified Russian strikes on Ukrainian Black Sea port infrastructure, in comments made while on a visit to Türkiye on Monday.
He said such strikes in recent weeks had damaged four civilian vessels.
Türkiye has offered to act as an intermediary to end the more than 2-1/2-year-old war sparked by the Kremlin's invasion of Ukraine and has endeavored to maintain good ties with both Moscow and Kyiv.
Türkiye shares a maritime border with both Ukraine and Russia in the Black Sea and has good ties with both.
It opposes Russia's invasion, as well as Western sanctions against Moscow.
"We see benefit in once again discussing initiatives that could serve peace, like the Black Sea grain initiative," Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said, referring to the deal Türkiye helped broker to allow Black Sea exports from Ukraine's ports.
"I discussed this with my counterpart as well, we admire Ukraine's positive stance on this."
The Black Sea grain initiative remained in force for about a year until Russia backed out of the accord in July 2023, saying provisions of the agreement were not being fulfilled.
