UPDATE 3 - Turkish president's meeting with Ukrainian counterpart concludes

UPDATES WITH MEETING ENDS, REVISES HEADLINE, DECK, LEDE, EDITS THROUGH

By Zafer Fatih Beyaz, Seda Sevencan, Busranur Keskinkilic, and Efe Ozkan

ANKARA / ISTANBUL (AA) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Presidential Complex in the capital Ankara has ended.

The bilateral meeting and the inter-delegation working lunch, held behind closed doors at the Presidential Complex, lasted 2 hours and 45 minutes.

The closed-door meeting was also attended by National Defense Minister Yasar Guler, National Intelligence Organization head Ibrahim Kalin, and Akif Cagatay Kilic, chief presidential advisor on foreign policy and security.

Zelenskyy arrived in the Turkish capital Ankara on Thursday for a meeting with Erdogan ahead of expected Russia-Ukraine peace talks.

The plane carrying Zelenskyy landed at Ankara’s Esenboga Airport at 12.14 pm (0914GMT).

Zelenskyy was welcomed at the airport by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and officials who came to Türkiye for a NATO foreign ministers meeting in the southern Turkish city of Antalya.

Earlier on X, Türkiye’s Communications Director Fahrettin Altun also said Erdogan and Zelenskyy are expected to discuss the latest developments in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, addressing the situation from all angles.

During the visit, Erdogan is also expected to stress Türkiye's call for an immediate ceasefire and the start of peace negotiations, he added.