ANKARA - Turkey warned Thursday that escalating Russian and Ukrainian attacks are threatening commercial shipping and could turn the Black Sea into another front in the war.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said at an Oct. 8 news conference in Ankara that Moscow and Kyiv were intensifying military operations ahead of winter as each side sought an advantage on the battlefield.
He said the escalation was increasingly affecting navigational safety and threatening merchant ships, including Turkish-flagged vessels and ships owned by Turkish companies.
“We must never allow the Black Sea to be turned into a new front for conflict,” Fidan said.
Ankara Proposes Pause in Shipping Attacks
Turkey said it had sent Russia and Ukraine proposals aimed at reducing tensions, halting attacks on civilian shipping and ensuring the safe transport of grain. Ankara is still waiting for responses from the two sides.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan previously called attacks on commercial vessels unacceptable and urged both sides to take immediate steps to stop them.
Risks to shipping have risen as Ukraine has stepped up attacks on vessels and infrastructure supporting Russian oil and grain exports, while Russia has continued strikes on the Ukrainian ports of Odesa, Chornomorsk and Pivdennyi.
Grain Export Deal Remains Suspended
Turkey and the United Nations brokered the Black Sea Grain Initiative in July 2022, allowing Ukrainian grain to be exported safely by sea after Russia’s full-scale invasion.
Russia withdrew from the agreement in 2023, saying obstacles remained for its own food and fertilizer exports. Turkey has since continued efforts to revive a mechanism protecting grain shipments and commercial navigation.
Source: Vesti Baku. Additional reporting: Reuters.