Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has reiterated Ankara’s support for Ukraine’s "territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence" against the ongoing conflict, and stressed that Türkiye remains ready to support peace efforts.
"We are facing the geopolitical challenges created by the war. Despite this, our multifaceted cooperation with Ukraine is growing stronger every day," Fidan told a joint press conference with his visiting Ukrainian counterpart Andrii Sybiha in the capital Ankara on Monday.
Highlighting the importance of reviving the Black Sea Grain Initiative – a safe seaborne route for grain shipments from July 2022 to July 2023, coordinated by Türkiye – Fidan expressed hope for the Black Sea to become a "basin of cooperation" once again.
Sybiha, for his part, stressed that Ukraine’s Peace Formula is the only solution for a just resolution to the ongoing war, and emphasised the importance of Türkiye’s support for the 10-step peace formula, which was laid out at the 2022 G20 summit in Indonesia.
He urged all nations seeking peace to endorse the formula in line with UN standards, saying: "We know Türkiye is contributing to this effort."
The Ukrainian minister also discussed re-establishing freedom of navigation in the Black Sea, drawing attention to Russia's attacks on Ukrainian port infrastructure.
Underlining the importance of the "Grain from Ukraine" initiative, he praised Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's crucial role in launching this “vital program." Erdogan later received Sybiha at the Presidential Complex.
Türkiye first hosted a meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers in the Mediterranean city of Antalya in March 2022. Those efforts led to the landmark Black Sea grain deal in 2022, but Moscow did not extend the agreement after July 2023, citing restrictions on Russian grain exports.
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