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President Volodymyr Zelenskyy paid an official visit to Turkey. The Ukrainian leader stressed the importance of Ukraine's territorial integrity and reiterated the demand for security guarantees.
“As a country, we want peace; we want the war to end. However, we want the end of this war to be based on certain security guarantees. We expect these security guarantees to be provided by the US, the EU, Turkey and all of Europe,” Zelensky said, according to Anadolu Agency..
He stressed that Ukraine will never compromise on its territorial integrity or sovereignty, stating that it cannot act contrary to the Ukrainian Constitution.
"We will never, under any circumstances, recognize our temporarily occupied territories as part of Russia. They are part of Ukraine," the President of Ukraine reminded.
Zelensky also confirmed Kyiv's commitment to returning the occupied territories through diplomatic channels, emphasizing: "Because we do not want to lose our people - our people are our greatest treasure."
He added that these issues will also be discussed during a meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Zelensky stressed that there was no diplomacy at the beginning of the war, and described how Russia later put forward conditions and Ukraine was excluded from negotiations between Moscow and Washington. According to him, even in the most difficult times, Ukraine never accepted ultimatums.
Reaffirming Kyiv's commitment to diplomacy as a means of resolving the war, Zelensky called on all mediators, including Russian, American and European, to engage in constructive dialogue. However, he made it clear that Ukraine would not accept any outcome that would jeopardize its territorial integrity or sovereignty.
Turkey's position on the war - latest news
Ankara continues to balance between Ukraine and Russia, trying to maintain neutrality. Turkey does not recognize the annexation of Crimea and other occupied territories, and at the beginning of the full-scale invasion, it supplied the Ukrainian army with Bayraktar TB2s, armored vehicles, and humanitarian aid.
At the same time, the country did not support Western sanctions against the Russian Federation, maintained trade and economic relations with Moscow, and also purchases Russian gas and other energy resources.
