Turkish ministers to meet Zelensky for Ukraine reconstruction efforts

ANKARA

Two Turkish ministers and accompanying business leaders will embark on a visit to Kiev to hold talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, discussing Türkiye’s role in the reconstruction of the war-torn country.

Turkish Trade Minister Ömer Bolat and Agriculture and Forestry Minister İbrahim Yumaklı will be joined by representatives from 25 construction companies, according to an official announcement released on March 12.

As part of the visit, the first meeting of the Türkiye-Ukraine Reconstruction Task Force will be co-chaired by Bolat and Oleksiy Kuleba, Ukraine's deputy prime minister and minister for communities and territorial development.

High-level bilateral talks, including a meeting with Turkish entrepreneurs active in Ukraine, are scheduled for Bolat during his visit.

This visit is poised to mark a critical step in enhancing bilateral cooperation, injecting new momentum into the relationship between the two nations.

The meeting in Kiev will focus on plans for the reconstruction of Ukraine’s war-damaged infrastructure, with particular emphasis on the involvement of the Turkish construction sector in these projects.

During the conflict, Turkish construction industry had already undertaken 100 emergency projects worth $1.2 billion in areas such as highways, bridges, energy and housing. The sector’s accumulated project portfolio in Ukraine, estimated at $10 billion, is expected to play a pivotal role in addressing Ukraine’s urgent needs and healing the country in the post-war era.

The Turkish agriculture minister’s delegation will include high-level participation from the Türkiye’s grain product office and Turkish agricultural enterprises.

Discussions during the visit are likely to center on rebuilding agricultural irrigation infrastructure and removing existing export restrictions on dairy products and poultry.

In late February, the Turkish Communications Directorate, confirmed a local media report saying that Ukraine offered Türkiye to restore the country to its former state after the signing of the peace agreement.

Kiev has delivered a dossier containing reconstruction projects to Ankara. Bidding for these projects, which span energy, housing, water supply and highway construction, is expected to take place in April and May, according to the statement.