Erdogan calls attacks on vessels in the Black Sea “inexplicable” at meeting with Zelensky

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Volodymyr Zelensky that Russia’s and Ukraine’s attacks on commercial vessels in the Black Sea are “inexplicable,” and called on both sides to act responsibly.

This was reported by the Turkish president’s press service on Thursday.

The leaders met at the Turkish House in New York on the sidelines of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly on Wednesday. Erdogan said that Turkey “is ready to do everything possible to end the war between Ukraine and Russia with a lasting peace,” and stressed that Ankara will continue its efforts to resume direct negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv.

Attacks on Turkish vessels

The meeting took place against the backdrop of increasingly frequent strikes on commercial vessels that have claimed the lives of Turkish citizens. Tamer Kiran, head of the Turkish Chamber of Shipping, said in August that 22 vessels owned by Turkish owners had been attacked over two months. A strike in June on the Turkish fishing vessel Duru 67 off the coast of Crimea killed its captain, and in July a drone strike on the coal carrier Reyhan Sarı claimed the life of a Turkish crew member.

On August 3, drones attacked the Turkish-owned vessels Yaşar and Nadezhda after they departed from the Russian port of Novorossiysk — several crew members, including Turkish citizens, were injured. Ankara sent proposals to Ukraine and Russia calling for an end to the attacks and said it was awaiting a response from both sides.

Maritime ceasefire and grain corridor

Earlier on Wednesday, Zelensky told leaders at the Crimea Platform summit that Kyiv was ready for a maritime ceasefire in the Black Sea based on proposals from Turkey, Egypt, and India. Following the meeting, Zelensky said that Russia must first stop strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure — and only then would Kyiv halt its own long-range retaliatory strikes. He described the meeting as “good” and noted that Erdogan was willing to host a trilateral leaders’ summit with Russia’s participation.

“If the president can arrange it — we will support the idea of meeting in Turkey,” Zelensky said.

Separately, Erdogan told Turkish journalists in New York that Ankara had stepped up its efforts to restore the Black Sea grain corridor.

“We have intensified our efforts to restore the grain corridor. We are also accelerating diplomatic steps in this direction,” the Turkish president said, adding that Zelensky’s reaction had been “positive.”

Turkey and the UN brokered the original Black Sea Grain Initiative in July 2022, but Russia withdrew from the agreement the following year. Since then, global wheat prices have risen sharply, and major importers in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa have been struggling to secure supplies.