Zelensky and Erdogan discuss Black Sea security and a potential Drone Deal
President Volodymyr Zelensky met with Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan to discuss Black Sea security and the operation of Ukraine's maritime export corridor, alongside bilateral issues including a free trade zone and a possible Drone Deal. On the same day, Ukraine's foreign minister and the EU's top diplomat separately pushed for protection of Ukrainian grain exports, warning of global food-security consequences from Russian strikes on the corridor.
Key points
- President Zelensky met with Erdogan; Black Sea security and the maritime export corridor were on the agenda.
- Bilateral issues included a free trade zone and a potential Drone Deal.
- Zelensky said Ukraine's food exports are depended upon by countries on every continent.
- Zelensky said Ukraine would stop long-range responses only if Russia halts strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure.
- Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha met WFP acting Executive Director Carl Skau to discuss Russian attacks on the maritime corridor.
- EU High Representative Kaja Kallas called for stopping Russian attacks on Ukrainian grain in the Black Sea.
Why it matters
The meeting ties Black Sea security directly to continued Ukrainian grain and food exports, which Zelensky, Sybiha and EU High Representative Kaja Kallas all frame as a global food-security concern. Discussion of a potential Drone Deal points to a deepening military-industrial relationship between Ukraine and Turkey. Zelensky's framing of any reciprocal restraint on long-range strikes as conditional on Russia halting strikes on Ukrainian targets is Kyiv's attempt to set the terms of escalation control.
What happened
President Volodymyr Zelensky met with Recep Tayyip Erdogan on September 24, 2026. The two leaders discussed Black Sea security and the operation of the maritime export corridor, as well as bilateral issues including a free trade zone and a potential Drone Deal. Zelensky said Ukraine's food exports are depended upon by countries on every continent and stated that Ukraine would stop long-range responses only if Russia first halts its strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure. On the same day, Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha held a separate meeting with Carl Skau, acting Executive Director of the World Food Programme, to address global food security and Russian attacks on the Ukrainian maritime corridor. Sybiha said the consequences of Russian strikes would extend beyond the Black Sea region because Ukraine supplies a significant share of grain and sunflower oil to world markets, and listed restoring freedom of navigation, protecting Ukrainian ports and holding Russia accountable as urgent priorities. EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas also called for stopping Russian attacks on Ukrainian grain in the Black Sea to restore exports and prevent a global food crisis.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
The Ukrainian agency and Ukrainian media outlet covering the story both lead with the Zelensky-Erdogan meeting and connect Black Sea security directly to the maritime export corridor and a potential Drone Deal, presenting the bilateral track as active on both security and economic fronts. The same sources foreground Foreign Minister Sybiha's parallel diplomacy, tying Russian strikes on the corridor to global food security and naming freedom of navigation, port protection and accountability as urgent priorities.
Background
Ukraine's maritime export corridor has been a recurring point of vulnerability, and Russian attacks on port infrastructure have been linked by Ukrainian and EU officials to risks for world grain and sunflower oil supply. Turkey has previously played a mediating role on Black Sea grain arrangements, giving the bilateral talks on Black Sea security a precedent context.