Türkiye’s president on Thursday voiced concern over ongoing clashes around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in Ukraine.

“We expressed our concern about the ongoing conflict around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. We do not want to experience a new Chernobyl,” Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said at a news conference after a trilateral meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy and UN chief Antonio Guterres.

Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres gathered in the Ukrainian city of Lviv to discuss steps to end the Ukraine-Russia war through diplomatic means and maintain a mechanism recently established for the export of Ukrainian grain to world markets.

“We also evaluated the possibilities of transforming the positive atmosphere created by the Istanbul agreement into permanent peace,” Erdoğan said.

Türkiye, the UN, Russia and Ukraine signed a deal in Istanbul on July 22 to reopen three Ukrainian Black Sea ports for exporting Ukrainian grain stuck due to the war, which is now in its sixth month.

Erdoğan said the entire world is feeling the “positive effects” of the agreement, which enabled the export of Ukrainian grain via the Black Sea.

Since the first ship left a Ukrainian port on Aug. 1, approximately 625,000 tons of Ukrainian grain has been delivered to world markets through 25 ships, he said.

On his talks with Zelenskyy and Ukrainian officials, Erdoğan said they discussed ties at the strategic partnership level, covering all dimensions and ways to advance cooperation and solidarity.

He also reiterated Ankara’s strong support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.

He said Türkiye is working to end conflicts diplomatically, adding that Ankara has “stood by our Ukrainian friends and we continue to do so.”

Erdoğan said he told Zelenskyy that Türkiye will provide the necessary support for the reconstruction of Ukrainian infrastructure damaged in the war.

Türkiye has sent 98 humanitarian aid trucks to meet the urgent needs of Ukrainians, he said.

“We’ve been temporarily hosting nearly 325,000 Ukrainians. We’ve admitted a total of 1,507 people, including 1,099 orphans and 408 care staff, until conditions in Ukraine return to normal,” said Erdoğan.

He also called on the international community to assume greater responsibility in diplomacy between Russia and Ukraine.

“What matters is finding the shortest and fairest way to the negotiating table,” he said.

The Turkish president said he believes the war will eventually end at the negotiating table, a view shared by Zelenskyy and Guterres.

Discussions were also held on the exchange of prisoners of war, an issue to which Türkiye attaches “great importance,” he added.

“We’re ready to act as a facilitator or mediator towards the goal of reviving negotiations upon the parameters that took form in Istanbul,” he said.

Türkiye will discuss the outcome of these meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Russian side, he said.

For his part, Zelenskyy hailed Türkiye and Erdoğan for their “leading role” in the grain shipment deal that he said was “crucial for preventing a global food crisis.”

On the deal with Ankara for reconstruction of Ukrainian infrastructure, he said: “The realization of our goals will make both Ukraine and Türkiye stronger.”

The agreement was signed by Turkish Trade Minister Mehmet Mus and Ukraine’s Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov.