As part of the working visit of the President of Ukraine to Türkiye for the NATO Summit, First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska participated in a series of events dedicated to promoting cultural diplomacy, strengthening international cooperation in the field of child protection, and supporting Ukrainian citizens who have found refuge in Türkiye as a result of Russia’s full-scale invasion. 

One of the central events of the visit was the inauguration of a Ukrainian-language audio guide at Anıtkabir, the mausoleum and museum of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the modern Republic of Türkiye. Anıtkabir is one of Türkiye’s most important national landmarks and the venue for official state ceremonies, welcoming millions of visitors from Türkiye and abroad each year. 

Opening the project, Olena Zelenska stressed that the Ukrainian language should be represented alongside other world languages at leading cultural heritage sites. She noted that the Ukrainian community in Türkiye, which has grown significantly since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, will now be able to explore Türkiye’s history in their native language. The First Lady also expressed her gratitude to the Turkish side and to the Embassy of Ukraine in the Republic of Türkiye for making the project possible. During the ceremony, she laid flowers at the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and highlighted the enduring relevance of his principle, “Peace at home, peace in the world,” which carries particular significance in today’s global context.

During the NATO Summit, Olena Zelenska also took part in the international roundtable “Children, Technology and Security: Protecting the Next Generation,” dedicated to addressing emerging hybrid threats facing children. The First Lady presented Ukraine’s experience in countering attempts to recruit children through social media and online platforms—one of the latest instruments of Russian aggression.

She outlined Ukraine’s comprehensive approach to child protection, which includes awareness campaigns conducted by law enforcement officers in schools, the integration of digital safety into educational curricula, the operation of a dedicated chatbot for reporting suspicious online contacts, and the development of the “security triangle” model of cooperation between children, parents, and teachers. Olena Zelenska emphasised that Ukraine is ready to share its experience with international partners in order to jointly address these new challenges. 

An important humanitarian component of the visit was a joint visit with Minister of Family and Social Services of the Republic of Türkiye Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş to the children of the Odesa Specialised Children’s Home “Sonechko,” who were evacuated to Türkiye in the autumn of 2022. 

The First Lady reviewed the children’s living conditions, spoke with the children and staff, and expressed her sincere gratitude to the Republic of Türkiye for its care and support for Ukrainian children who were forced to flee their homes because of the war. Thanks to the assistance of the Turkish side, the children have been provided with safe accommodation, education, and rehabilitation services, while many of them have already been able to return to Ukraine and find new families.

The humanitarian programme of the First Lady’s visit to Ankara demonstrated that the Ukrainian–Turkish partnership extends well beyond security and political cooperation, encompassing cultural diplomacy, child protection, and support for the most vulnerable groups affected by the war. The initiatives implemented during the visit once again confirmed the strong humanitarian partnership between Ukraine and the Republic of Türkiye.