Zelensky-Erdogan Talks: War and Grain

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Istanbul for talks with Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the war with Russia and Black Sea grain shipments.

The meeting comes as Kyiv seeks to shore up more support from its NATO allies and as Ankara positions itself as a potential mediator between Russia and Ukraine.

Kyiv has faced mounting pressure on the front line in recent months, losing ground to Moscow amid hold-ups to Western aid from its biggest ally Washington.

The two leaders are to meet at the Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul and hold a press conference, according to the Turkish presidency.

Zelensky's office said the pair will discuss Kyiv's proposal to end the conflict -- as well as "Black Sea navigation security, global food stability, and the release of Ukrainian prisoners and political prisoners held by the Russian state."

NATO member Turkey has sought to maintain good relations with Moscow and Kyiv throughout the two-year war, with Erdogan pitching himself as a key go-between and possible peace-maker.

A Turkish diplomatic source said that Ankara "will once again emphasize that our strong support for the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine, including Crimea, continues."

Russia and Ukraine reported civilian casualties, as both sides accused each other of striking deep behind enemy lines.

Turkey hosted failed ceasefire talks between Kyiv and Moscow in the first weeks of the war and wants to revive them.

Turkey's strategic location on the Black Sea and its control of the Bosphorus Strait gives it a unique military, political and economic role in the conflict.

In July 2022, Ankara with the United Nations brokered the Black Sea grain deal, the most significant diplomatic agreement so far reached between Kyiv and Moscow.

The Erdogan-Zelensky meeting comes a week after Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met his Turkish counterpart Fidan at a diplomatic forum in Antalya.