U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan in Ukraine on Thursday, with grain exports and concerns about the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant to top the agenda.
Erdogam and Zelensky to meet first time since invasion
The meeting will mark as the first between Erdogan and Zelensky since the Russia Ukraine crisis. After their meetings, the three presidents will have a joint news conference in Lviv, a crucial transit city for Ukrainian refugees travelling to Europe since the invasion.
U.N. Chief’s visit to Black Sea port of Odesa
U.N. Chief Guterres, who arrived in Lviv on Wednesday, plans to visit the Black Sea port of Odesa where the grain exports have resumed under the deal brokered last month by the United Nations. On Saturday, he will travel on to the Joint Coordination Centre in Istanbul. The centre is made up of Russian, Ukrainian, Turkish and U.N. officials overseeing Ukrainian grain exports.
Meeting between Erdogan and Zelensky
Erdogan’s office said it would discuss ways to increase grain exports and measures to end the war between Ukraine and Russia through diplomatic channels. The Turkish President will also discuss “all aspects” of bilateral relations between Ankara and Kyiv during his meeting with President Zelensky.
Turkey’s stand on invasion
Turkey has criticised the Russian invasion of Ukraine and provided Ukraine with arms, including drones but has also refused to join the West in imposing sanctions on Russia- a stance it says has helped its mediation efforts reap results.
Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant
Ukraine and Russia have accused each other of shelling near a nuclear power plant in eastern Ukraine. The facility occupied by Russian forces is described by Moscow as under early stages of a “special military operation.” The facility is still being operated by Ukrainian technicians.
Guterres, who last visited Ukraine in April, discussed conditions for safe operation of the nuclear power plant with Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu this week, Russia said in a statement.
The United Nations said it would help facilitate visits by International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors from Kyiv to Zaporizhia, but Russia said the mission through the Ukrainian capital was too risky.
(With inputs from Reuters)
