Updated 23:47 | Published 23:34
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says that Ukraine “deserves” NATO membership but that Kiev should also start peace talks with Moscow.
Erdogan made the statement after he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi, who is visiting Istanbul on Friday.
– There is no doubt that Ukraine deserves membership in NATO, he said at a joint press conference with the Ukrainian president, adding that “both sides should go back to the peace talks.
At the same time, Erdogan announces that Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit Turkey in August. It is Russia’s first state visit to Turkey since the country launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine last February.
According to Erdogan, he and the Russian president will, among other things, discuss prisoner exchanges.