Kyiv, Aug. 19 (Xinhua). Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday spoke with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan about prospects for ending the conflict with Russia, state-run Ukrinform news agency reported.
At a joint press conference after their meeting in Lviv, western Ukraine, Zelenskyy said his country would only start peace talks with Russia after Russian troops left Ukraine.
For his part, Erdogan assured that Turkey would provide all necessary support to resume negotiations to end the crisis.
Peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow could be based on the agreements reached in Istanbul last March, the Turkish leader said, adding that his country is ready to mediate in the negotiations.
During the press conference, Guterres called for the demilitarization of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine.
The plant, one of the largest nuclear power plants in Europe, has been under the control of Russian troops since early March.
“Military equipment and personnel must be withdrawn from the facility. And further use of military forces or weapons at the facility must be avoided,” said the UN chief.
Ukrainian and Russian negotiators held the latest round of face-to-face peace talks in Istanbul, Turkey on March 29.