Erdogan and Zelensky Meet in Ankara Amid US-Russia Talks

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Ankara on Tuesday, Feb. 18, as Kyiv seeks to bolster its position amid the US-Russia talks in Saudi Arabia.

Zelensky arrived in Turkey late Monday from the United Arab Emirates, stating he would discuss prisoner exchanges and other key issues with Erdogan. Their talks at Erdogan’s presidential palace began around 11:15 GMT, just hours after US and Russian diplomats held their first high-level meeting in nearly three years in Saudi Arabia.

Turkey, a NATO member, has maintained ties with both Ukraine and Russia throughout the conflict, supplying drones to Kyiv while avoiding Western-led sanctions on Moscow. Erdogan has positioned himself as a mediator, with Turkey playing a role in multiple prisoner exchange deals between the two warring nations.

Zelensky, who last visited Turkey in March 2024, is scheduled to travel to Riyadh on Wednesday - a visit he referred to as ‘not related to Russia-US talks.”

Earlier on Tuesday, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met in Riyadh with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio as part of what the Kremlin says is a bid to re-open ties with Washington.

US and Russian officials are eyeing a summit between their two leaders, with Europe and Kyiv worried they will try to end the war in Ukraine without them.

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