Türkiye summons Ukrainian, Russian envoys over attacks on ships in Black Sea

ANKARA

Türkiye on Thursday summoned senior Ukrainian and Russian diplomats to the Foreign Ministry after attacks on ships sailing in international waters in the Black Sea.

According to information obtained by Anadolu Agency, Turkish officials conveyed to Ukrainian Ambassador Nariman Celal and Russian charge d’affaires Aleksei Ivanov Ankara’s concern over the attacks during the meetings held at the ministry.

Earlier on Saturday, Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesperson Öncu Keçeli said in a post on X that the attacks on the Kairos and Virat vessels happened inside Türkiye’s exclusive economic zone and “have posed serious risks to navigation, life, property and environmental safety in the region.”

Ankara is carrying out talks with the relevant parties to prevent the spread of the war in Ukraine across the Black Sea and to protect Türkiye’s economic interests, Keçeli added.

At the same time, Türkiye is continuing its activities in the framework of the Black Sea Mine Countermeasures Task Group (MCM Black Sea), a mission co-founded with Romania and Bulgaria.