Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has arrived in Istanbul for "substantive" talks on security issues with Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan, Zelenskyy said on Saturday.

"We are working to strengthen our partnership to ensure real protection of people’s lives, advance stability, and guarantee security in our Europe, as well as in the Middle East," Zelenskyy wrote on X.

Later Saturday, Zelenskyy said he agreed "new steps" in security cooperation with Erdogan, adding that the political will was there and that teams would finalize the details shortly.

"This applies above all to the areas in which we can support Turkey: expertise, technology and experience," he wrote on Telegram during a visit to Istanbul.

Zelenskiy added that the two leaders discussed co-operation opportunities in joint gas infrastructure projects and joint gas field development

Ukraine has recently signed security co-operation agreements with Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar, and says it is in talks with several other Middle Eastern states about similar arrangements.

After the outbreak of war in the Middle East, Ukraine has sought to leverage its counter-drone experience acquired during its four-year-long war against Russia.

Moscow has long deployed Iranian-designed drones to strike Ukraine since its February 2022 invasion.

Zelenskyy's spokesman told reporters that Zelenskyy would meet Patriarch Bartholomew, the most senior cleric in the Orthodox Church.