Erdogan willing to assist in prisoner exchanges between Ukraine and Russia

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan touched upon the grain deal and the security situation in the Black Sea during talks with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Erdogan said at a press conference after their meeting in Istanbul, Report informs via TASS.

Erdogan also is willing to assist in prisoner exchanges between Ukraine and Russia and in ensuring the safety of ships in the Black Sea.

"There are several important aspects. Among them are food security, prisoner exchange and the safety of [commercial] vessels in the Black Sea. We believe that Türkiye has some opportunities in this regard, and we should do it. When contacting our dialogue partners, we see some positive approaches concerning these issues, so we cannot say that we have no hope," Erdogan said.

In addition, the Turkish president pointed out that Zelenskyy had called to ensure the security of ports which are used for grain shipments.