Turkey refuses passage for British ships transferred to Ukraine

Erdogan’s administration has stated they will not allow British minesweepers, transferred to Ukraine, to pass through their straits into the Black Sea.

Ankara reports having informed their allies about this decision. On December 11, Britain announced its intention to transfer the first two minesweepers from its Royal Navy as part of a new ‘Maritime Task Group’ to aid Ukraine’s fleet.

It’s worth noting that at the onset of the conflict in 2022, Turkey even supplied certain types of weaponry to Ukraine and supported it in the conflict. However, there have been no further recorded shipments and Ankara’s diplomatic stance has shifted to a neutral status from its previously sympathetic position toward Kyiv.