Erdogan condemns attacks on merchant ships in the Black Sea at meeting with Zelensky

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, at a meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, condemned attacks on merchant ships in the Black Sea — both Russian and Ukrainian, including strikes on Turkish vessels.

This was reported by Reuters, citing a press release from the Turkish presidential administration.

“Our president stressed the need to take measures to ensure the safety of navigation in the Black Sea, emphasizing that attacks on merchant ships are inexplicable, and expressed the expectation that the parties will act responsibly,” the administration’s statement said.

Ankara said it had sent proposals to Ukraine and Russia to halt the attacks. The Turkish side also stated the need to find a solution that would allow grain shipments to be carried out safely.

In addition, Erdogan confirmed Turkey’s readiness to help resolve the conflict.

“During the meeting, President Erdogan stated that Turkey is ready to do everything possible to ensure that the war between Ukraine and Russia ends with the establishment of a lasting peace, and that we will continue efforts to resume direct negotiations,” the Turkish presidential administration’s press release said.

For its part, the Office of the President of Ukraine also confirmed that Black Sea security was discussed at the meeting — “primarily, how to ensure the operation of the maritime export corridor.” Zelensky outlined Ukraine’s position on the conditions for restoring grain exports during the talks.

“There are effectively countries on every continent that depend on our food exports. And right now there are various options on the table for how it can be fully restored. All that is needed is Russia’s willingness to stop its terrorist strikes on our infrastructure, so that Ukraine symmetrically halts its long-range responses,” Zelensky told Erdogan.

Shortly before the meeting, the Turkish Foreign Ministry stated that Ankara was attempting to arrange a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia in the Black Sea. Turkey had already made similar efforts over the summer, but they did not succeed.