Zelenskyy confirms readiness for leaders' summit in Turkey, proposes security rules for Black Sea

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has expressed readiness to participate in a trilateral summit in Turkey, involving Russian President Vladimir Putin, provided that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan successfully mediates the talks. Speaking to Turkish television channel CNN Türk, Zelenskyy ruled out any territorial concessions or negotiations without Ukraine's involvement, CNN Türk reported on Sunday evening.

The prospect of holding a trilateral leaders summit in Turkey was recently discussed again. Zelenskyy stated that if Turkey manages to bring the leaders together, Ukraine would be pleased to host such a meeting. He attributed the potential success of negotiations to Erdoğan's personal relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump and Putin.

Zelenskyy emphasized that any attempts by other world leaders to make decisions for Ukraine behind its back are futile. Regarding the upcoming G20 summit in the United States, he mentioned that Ukraine has received preliminary signals from intermediaries about a possible invitation from Trump to join the initiative aimed at ending the war. Ukraine would support such a move if an official invitation is extended.

On the matter of territorial integrity and security guarantees, Zelenskyy reaffirmed Ukraine's commitment to defending its land. He dismissed demands from American intermediaries for Ukraine to voluntarily withdraw from unoccupied territories, calling such claims from Moscow contrary to common sense. Zelenskyy also highlighted the hypocrisy of Russian demands for security guarantees, as Ukraine is the victim of aggression and needs reliable protection.

Zelenskyy outlined the mutual rules agreed upon with Erdoğan to ensure maritime safety in the Black Sea. These rules include allowing civilian vessels to enter Ukrainian ports under the flags of Turkey or other nations, without being attacked while in Ukrainian or Russian ports. Zelenskyy reaffirmed Ukraine's right to strike Russian fuel infrastructure and diesel fuel production facilities, stating that the impact on global energy prices would be minimal due to Russia's small share in global exports.

He noted that the conflict in the Middle East, where Russia is an ally of Iran, is primarily responsible for the rise in global energy prices.