Ukraine’s Zelenskyy expresses surprise over Russia-US talks in Saudi Arabia

By Seda Sevencan

ISTANBUL (AA) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday that his government was caught off guard by a Russia-US meeting in Saudi Arabia, also held Tuesday, as they learned of it only through the media.

Speaking at a joint press conference in the Turkish capital Ankara alongside Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Zelenskyy said: "The Russia-US meeting (in the Saudi capital Riyadh) was a surprise to us. We learned about it from the media.”

Touching on bilateral ties, Zelenskyy stressed that Türkiye-Ukraine relations are at a high level, as always, thanking the Turkish president and people for this.

He also underlined that Türkiye has taken a very principled stance on Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty amid the ongoing war, which began nearly three years ago.

Zelenskyy added that Ankara has facilitated the release of both Ukrainian soldiers and civilians.​​​​​​​