Ukraine's Zelensky to meet UN Secretary General, Turkey's Erdogan in Lviv

As a potential power broker,Turkey'sPresidentRecep Tayyip Erdoganis the firstUkraineUN Secretary-General António Guterres will use his visit to focus on containing the precarious situation at a nuclear power plant occupied by Russia, while moving the world's needy from Europe's breadbasket Six months ago to explore ways to expand grain exports to. 14} In Lvivwe are welcoming two men. War is also on the agenda.

Meanwhile, the cries of shells still overwhelmed the diplomatic whispers.

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Total 11 killed Wednesday night and 40 wounded in a series of massive Russian missile attacks in the Kharkov region of Ukraine on Thursday morning.

At least seven people were killed, 20 others injured, and homes and civilian infrastructure damaged in late Wednesday night attacks in Kharkiv, officials said.

At the same time, the Russian Ministry of Defense targeted a "temporary base of foreign mercenaries" in the city of Kharkov on Thursday morning, of which he claimed to have killed 90.

UN spokesman Stephan Dujarik said the three leaders would also discuss the situation at the Russian-controlled Zaporizhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine.

Russia He wanted the military out of the factory and emphasized that only "absolute transparency and control over the situation" by the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency, among others, could guarantee a return to nuclear safety.

Russia highlighted the threat posed by the plant during wartime. Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, commander of the Russian military's radiation, chemical and bioprotection units, said Ukrainian forces had planned to attack the factory again on Friday, but Guterres has accused Russia of nuclear terrorism. accusing him of still visiting Ukraine. Ukraine categorically denies targeting the factory.

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Kirillov states that an emergency at a plant would result in "radioactive material being released into the atmosphere and dispersing hundreds of kilometers away...an emergency of this kind would cause mass displacement." , will have more devastating consequences than the looming gas energy crisis in Europe.”

Such interests make the role of intermediaries like Erdogan more important than ever. There is a possibility.

President Erdogan, his NATO member who aids Ukraine in the war, is overseeing a volatile economy increasingly dependent on Russia for trade. That backdrop turns Thursday's meeting in Lviv into a diplomatic tightrope walk. Earlier this month, Turkish leaders met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the same issue.

President Erdogan is scheduled to hold his one-hour meeting with President Zelensky in the early afternoon, followed by President Guterres.

Last month, Turkey and the United Nations reported that 22 million tonnes of corn Ukraine had been stuck in Black Sea ports since Russia invaded on February 24. and other grain exports. Another Memorandum of Understanding between Russia and the United Nations, which was intended to remove obstacles to the shipment of Russian food and fertilizers to the world market.

War and export blockades have significantly exacerbated the global food crisis, with Ukraine and Russia being major suppliers. Turkey is well positioned to help speed up its exports, which have so far been slowing.

Grain prices peaked after the Russian invasion and although some have returned to pre-war levels, they remain significantly higher than before the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Developing countries are hit particularly hard by supply shortages and high prices. Ships are now leaving Russia and Ukraine, but the food crisis is far from over.

Prior to the meeting, Guterres visited the Ivan Franko National Lviv University, the oldest in Ukraine, and in a short statement to reporters spoke about the role of academic institutions in building democratic institutions. He commended the role. He did not comment on the content of the visit. If grain shipments and nuclear security are issues that could yield some progress, talks about an overall end to the conflict would be substantive. was not expected to result in

In March, Turkey hosted a series of talks between Russian and Ukrainian negotiators to discuss possible arrangements to end hostilities. Talks broke down after talks in Istanbul, with both sides blaming each other.

with Russia Act while maintaining good relations with both sides of Ukraine. Turkey has provided Ukrainian drones, which played a key role in deterring Russia's advance early in the conflict, but has refrained from joining the Western sanctions against Russia over the war. increase.

Turkey, facing a major economic crisis with official inflation nearing 80% of her We are increasingly dependent on Russia for tourism. Russian gas covers her 45% of Turkey's energy needs, and the Russian Atomic Energy Agency is building Turkey's first nuclear power plant.

At meetings in Sochi this month, Putin and Erdogan agreed to strengthen energy, financial and other ties between the two countries, while in the West, Ankara announced that Russia would impose sanctions on the United States and the European Union. Concern was raised that it could help avoid.

Susan Fraser reported from Ankara, Turkey.

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