Erdogan, Guterres reaffirm shared goal of ending conflict in Ukraine

Türkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres have met to discuss the conflict in Ukraine and reaffirm their shared goal of ending the hostilities.

Erdogan said both parties' shared their expectations and approaches to halting the conflict in Ukraine during a meeting in Ankara on Monday.

The leaders reaffirmed their "common objective" of ending the conflict in Ukraine "as soon as possible," the United Nations said in a statement earlier on Monday.

The UN statement said the leaders "stressed the urgent need for effective access through humanitarian corridors to evacuate civilians and deliver much needed assistance to impacted communities."

Guterres expressed his support for Türkiye's "on-going diplomatic efforts in relation to the war in Ukraine," noting that he and Erdogan "agreed to stay in contact to follow up on ongoing initiatives."

In addition, Erdogan said he will have a phone conversation with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Tuesday.

READ MORE: Erdogan: A just peace between Russia and Ukraine will have no losers

Türkiye's push to halt hostilities

Talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Istanbul on March 29 were seen as a breakthrough in the push to halt hostilities that began on February 24.

After the meeting, a Ukrainian negotiator said Kiev wants Türkiye among the countries that will be guarantors in any deal with Moscow.

Türkiye also brought together the Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers in its southern resort city of Antalya in March, the first meeting of senior government officials from the two sides since the start of the conflict.

Erdogan's meeting with Guterres comes ahead of Türkiye's National Defence Minister Hulusi Akar's participation in a meeting in Germany on Tuesday.

The Ukraine Security Consultative Group will take place at NATO's Ramstein Air Base with the defence ministers of 30 nations including NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

The meeting is hosted by US Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin, and will focus on the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and related security issues facing NATO allies and partners.

READ MORE: Altun stresses Türkiye's efforts to mediate in Russia-Ukraine conflict