Turkish media, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will go to Istanbul on Friday to meet with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Zelensky meet Erdogan: According to sources, the discussion would likely centre on the upcoming NATO summit as well as an agreement that will soon expire to ship grain from Ukraine over the Black Sea.
Before the July 11–12 alliance conference in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius, analysts anticipate Zelensky to exert pressure on Erdogan to approve Sweden’s membership in NATO.
Turkey is opposing Sweden’s bid due to a long-running disagreement over Stockholm’s alleged relaxed stance towards Kurdish extremists who reside in the Nordic nation.
Zelensky and Erdogan both want to extend a pact with Russia that has allowed Ukraine to export its maize and other products to foreign markets during the conflict.
Erdogan has attempted to mediate a cease-fire using his cordial working relationships with Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Turkey hosted two early rounds of peace negotiations, and efforts are underway to arrange additional rounds.
But NATO member Turkey’s growing economic links with Russia and its opposition to the bloc’s growth worry Western nations.