During his official visit to Turkey, Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenskyy announced that he will not travel to Saudi Arabia tomorrow as he had planned so as not to coincide with the meeting that Russian and US delegates are holding in Riyadh. He also strongly criticised a meeting that he said ‘we learned about through the press’ and negotiations that ‘are being held behind our backs’.
‘First of all, we more than anyone want this war to end. But we want this to happen under fair conditions. It is not right for things to be decided behind our backs. Any country can discuss any issue with other countries. But without Ukraine, issues such as how to end the war in Ukraine cannot be addressed,’ Zelenskyy said during a press conference held in Ankara with Erdoğan, responding to a Ukrainian journalist.
‘We were not invited to this meeting (in Riyadh). The meeting between the United States and Russia in Saudi Arabia came as a complete surprise to us. I think it was a surprise for many other people too. We learned about it through the media. I don’t know who will be there or who will go, and frankly, it’s not something I’m interested in,’ said the Ukrainian president with a serious expression.
‘I don’t want our partners and allies to think anything strange about us. We are completely open and honest. Therefore, I have decided that I will not travel to Saudi Arabia, because I do not want other things to happen or to give a wrong impression. We have spoken with the Saudi Arabian authorities and with their president, and the visit is postponed until March,’ announced Zelenskyy, who was initially scheduled to travel to Riyadh tomorrow after his stay in Ankara.
‘If the US delegation wants to come, let them come to Kiev’
‘If the United States wants to come, we will be waiting for them in Kiev,’ concluded the Ukrainian president in a serious and defiant tone; during his appearance with Erdoğan, he also showed the “gratitude” of his country to Turkey for its support “in these difficult times” for the territorial integrity of Ukraine. ’Turkey has always maintained a position of high principles on the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine. And this is critically important for us,’ he emphasised.
Zelenskyy also pointed out that not only Ukraine and the European Union, but also Turkey and even the United Kingdom should be included in the peace negotiations with Russia. “For this war to end with a credible and lasting peace, we must not make mistakes. And this is only possible if the negotiations are fair,” he insisted. The Turkish president himself, emphasising that for Ankara the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine are indisputable, added that ‘given our active diplomacy over the last 3 years (in this conflict), Turkey remains the ideal venue for negotiations between Russia, Ukraine and the USA’.
In other statements made during the inauguration of the new Ukrainian embassy building in Ankara, Zelenskyy emphasised the importance of Kiev obtaining guarantees for a just and lasting peace: ‘As a country we want peace. We want this war to end. But we want to end this war on the basis of certain guarantees of security, and we hope that these guarantees will be provided by the US, the EU, Turkey and the whole of Europe.’
‘If Turkey can provide Ukraine with the necessary security guarantees, we would like Turkey to be involved in this process as well,’ Zelenskyy said. “But we will never, under any circumstances, recognise the occupied territories as part of Russia. They are part of Ukraine,” he said.
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Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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