Turkey has given Russia and Ukraine a draft agreement to halt attacks on commercial vessels in the Black Sea, a Turkish diplomatic source said Thursday, amid escalating strikes targeting shipping in the region. Moscow and Kyiv have not commented on the proposal.
Ankara gives Moscow and Kyiv draft agreement
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan called on August 8 for the attacks to be suspended, as strikes intensified while each side sought to damage the other's export revenues. Turkish vessels operate extensively in the Black Sea and fly various flags.
Turkey acts after two ships targeted
In August, Turkey's Foreign Ministry summoned Ukraine's representative after an attack on the container ship Leader Bordeaux Mavi off the Russian coast. The ship sent to tow it, Leader Kocatepe, was then attacked as well. Both vessels are Turkish-owned. Turkey, a NATO member, maintains ties with Russia and Ukraine and has refrained from joining Western sanctions against Moscow.
Ankara has repeatedly proposed reviving the grain corridor arrangement to protect shipping, and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he would discuss the issue with Russian President Vladimir Putin in November. The diplomatic source said the proposal was inspired by the grain corridor mechanism brokered by Turkey and the United Nations in 2022 to secure the passage of Ukrainian grain exports through the Black Sea.
Russia withdrew from the agreement a year later, before Ukraine established an alternative route along the coasts of Romania and Bulgaria. According to the source, the alternative route requires Ukrainian ships to leave territorial waters and sail up to four or five miles in international waters, which he described as the risky section.
The Turkish plan proposes reducing exposure to these risks by using the territorial waters of neighboring countries. It also includes a route running along the eastern and southern shores of the Black Sea, near the coasts of Georgia and Turkey. The source said Ankara wants to use the territorial waters of neighboring countries, including Turkey and Georgia if the latter agrees to participate.
Most cargo shipments, including grain, had been diverted to Danube River ports after Russian attacks effectively closed Ukraine's Black Sea ports. Those ports had been used to ship 90% of the country's exports.
