Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in Ankara on Wednesday and will get together with U.S. military leaders in Kyiv on Thursday amid reports that Washington is quietly working with Russia to iron out a peace deal.
The Ukrainian leader used the Wednesday meeting to “reinvigorate negotiations” and discussed whether Mr. Erdogan can assist Ukraine in achieving peace. U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff was scheduled to join the discussion with Mr. Zelenskyy, but canceled his trip unexpectedly.
“Turkey’s important and active involvement in the Coalition of the Willing, especially in its naval component, is crucial. Everyone understands the importance of security in the Black Sea, and such security can only be guaranteed together with Turkey,” Mr. Zelenskyy wrote on X. “I am grateful to Turkey and personally to President Erdogan for this assistance. We value the trust that exists between us and between our states, and we count on the strength of Turkish diplomacy.”
The two leaders also promised to work together to resume prisoner exchanges, with Mr. Zelenskyy hoping to retrieve “Ukrainian military prisoners of war, Ukrainian civilians held by Russia, and abducted Ukrainian children.”
Turkey, a NATO member, has been a key interlocutor between Moscow and Kyiv since Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022. Ankara offered to host a series of meetings between the two nations shortly after the invasion. Although a face-to-face meeting between Mr. Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin in July didn’t occur, the two nations exchanged prisoners.
Moscow said earlier this week that its diplomats would not be present, though Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Mr. Putin is interested in hearing what comes out of the meeting.
Mr. Zelenskyy’s meeting comes amid reports that the White House is working with Moscow to hammer out a 28-point Ukraine peace plan. The plan, first reported by Axios, reportedly would give Russia control of several parts of eastern Ukraine that it does not currently control, including Luhansk and Donetsk, in exchange for a U.S. security guarantee for Kyiv.
Under the plan, the U.S. would formally recognize Donbas and Crimea as legally part of Russia.
Mr. Witkoff discussed the plan with Mr. Zelenskyy’s national security adviser, Rustem Umerov, this week, with the Ukrainian official reportedly agreeing to several of the plan’s points.
Mr. Witkoff has also begun to brief other European countries on the plan.
Meanwhile, a U.S. Army delegation led by Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and Gen. Randy George, the branch’s chief of staff, traveled to Kyiv this week for planned meetings with top Ukrainian lawmakers and military officials. The two Army leaders are the highest-ranking Pentagon members to visit Ukraine since President Trump took office in January.
The duo is expected to meet with Mr. Zelenskyy on Thursday to discuss the stalled peace efforts with Russia, according to reports. The two will also meet with Ukrainian military officials to discuss a potential exchange deal on drones and autonomous munitions.
The meetings come as Russia intensifies its attacks on Ukrainian cities. On Wednesday, Ukrainian authorities reported that a Russian drone and missile barrage killed at least 20 people.
• Vaughn Cockayne can be reached at vcockayne@washingtontimes.com.
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