Türkiye pushes Ukraine and Russia to stop strikes in Black Sea
Hakan Fidan (photo: Getty Images)
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Ankara has called on Ukraine and Russia to impose a moratorium on attacks against commercial vessels in the Black Sea, according to Le Temps.
Minister Fidan says that amid the renewed attacks, Türkiye has called for the creation of a mechanism to declare a moratorium.
"The conflict has spread across the entire Black Sea. At first, they attacked ports and military vessels. Now they attack all commercial vessels indiscriminately... vessels owned by Turks or sailing under the Turkish flag are also being affected," he said.
Other details available
As previously reported, the exchange of strikes between Ukraine and Russia has intensified significantly in recent weeks and months. In particular, attacks in the Black Sea have effectively led to a naval blockade.
Today, Bloomberg sources reported that Türkiye had restricted the passage of some commercial vessels in the Black Sea. The move came in response to a surge in attacks.
At the same time, vessels heading to other destinations do not appear to have been affected. According to vessel-tracking data, ships bound for ports in Bulgaria, Romania and Georgia continued sailing north through the Dardanelles on Saturday.
Reports also emerged that Ukraine had agreed not to strike certain non-Russian tankers and critical Black Sea infrastructure used for the export of Kazakh oil.
