Defense minister meets Ukrainian counterpart in Ankara

 Turkish Defense Minister Yaşar Güler on Friday met with his Ukrainian counterpart Rustem Umerov in capital Ankara.

Güler welcomed Umerov with a military ceremony, according to a statement by the Turkish National Defense Ministry.

After the ceremony, Güler and Umerov held a meeting at the ministry building.

On Thursday, a ceremony was held in Istanbul to launch a Ukrainian corvette into the water.

"Today in Istanbul, together with Ukraine's first lady Olena Volodymyrivna Zelenska, I took part in the launching of the Ukrainian corvette "Hetman Ivan Vyhovskyi," Umerov said on X.

"Corvettes 'Hetman Ivan Vyhovskyi' and 'Hetman Ivan Mazepa', which were built in Türkiye due to Russian aggression, are equipped with cutting-edge weapons and will become a significant addition to our fleet, increasing the defense capability of Ukraine," Umerov added.

Türkiye also ratified a free trade agreement with Ukraine.

The agreement was signed on Feb. 3, 2022, and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan approved the deal and its annexes on Thursday.

Türkiye and Ukraine's bilateral trade volume was $7.3 billion in 2023, Turkish Trade Minister Omer Bolat said on Thursday.

The main trade fields between the two countries are iron-steel, machinery, energy, automotive and grain.