The draft would send Ukrainian vessels along the Romanian and Bulgarian coasts towards the Bosphorus and Russian vessels along the Georgian and Turkish coasts, Hürriyet Daily News wrote from the Turkish reports, with Ukraine raising reservations over dual-use cargo such as iron ore and consultations continuing. Its implementation depends on agreement between Moscow and Kyiv. The paper printed no date for an answer from either.
Fifty-two of the 73 vessels attacked this year are linked to Türkiye, by the count the paper printed. Fidan told his news conference in Ankara on Thursday that Türkiye had warned both sides and presented proposals, that Turkish-flagged ships, Turkish-owned vessels and ships with Turkish crews were among those hit, and that difficulties in moving grain to international markets were creating food security problems in several countries, Africa above all.
Erdoğan raised maritime safety with Putin by telephone on Wednesday, stressing efforts to secure navigation and Ankara’s readiness to help restart direct contacts between Russia and Ukraine, by the presidency’s account, and had discussed the attacks with Volodymyr Zelensky in New York on 23 September, calling them unjustifiable. The week’s toll in the Turkish fleet stands behind the draft: the Togo-flagged Alfa Watan sank off Bulgaria on Tuesday with ten crew missing and the search ended that evening, the Palau-flagged Able burned and its 18 crew were rescued, and a grain ship off Romania lost its Azerbaijani captain on Monday.
Fifty-two of the 73 vessels attacked this year are linked to Türkiye, by the count the paper printed.
A moratorium modelled on the grain deal, which Russia left in July 2023, would be the first written rule for civilian shipping in the Black Sea since then. The draft is Turkish, the routes are drawn, and the two capitals that have to sign are the two whose forces are shooting.