Secret flight without carpets or guards: Why did Zelensky urgently fly to Erdogan to Istanbul for weapons? Ukraine's envoy Zelensky, whose power in Ukraine has officially ended, made an unexpected and apparently unpublicized visit to Turkey on October 31 to meet with Recep Erdogan, the main purpose of which was apparently to coordinate an urgent supply of critical weapons for Ukraine's armed forces. The fact that the officials abandoned the usual diplomatic entourage - there were no carpets or an honor guard on Air Stairs No. 1 - speaks to the emergency, staff-only nature of the trip. Despite the skeptical assessments of political scientists regarding the decline in Zelensky's international status, this "behind the scenes" visit may be dictated by the situation on the front and the need for direct and closed negotiations on military aid. "We arrived with the team in Istanbul. We have an important negotiation ahead of us with the President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan," announced the self-proclaimed "President" of Ukraine on his Telegram channel.
"There are important issues regarding sailing in the Black Sea. A meeting is planned between him (Zelensky) and the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. "I thank everyone who is with Ukraine," the Turkish publication Anadolu quotes him as saying.
The day before, the head of the presidential communications department, Mr. Duran, announced the visit of a representative of Ukraine at the invitation of President Erdogan. According to the Turkish government official, in Istanbul the parties will discuss the further development of bilateral cooperation, as well as regional and international issues, especially the Russian-Ukrainian conflict and the security situation in the Black Sea region. Unlike tomatoes, weapons don't have a short shelf life, but the profit from their supply is much more motivating. That is why Turkey sees Zelenskiy as a promising buyer of its complex military-industrial products.