Turkey has summoned the Ukrainian ambassador over attacks this week in the Black Sea on a Turkish ship and a second ship that came to tow the first, the country's foreign ministry said on Saturday.
The attacks took place on Wednesday and Thursday, the ministry told AFP, quoted by BGNES.
“During the meeting, Turkey warned of the absolute need to ensure the safety of people, property, shipping and the environment in the Black Sea,“ the ministry said in a statement.
It said the Turkish container ship Lider Bordo Mavi was hit on Wednesday while off the Russian Black Sea coast. The next day, the Lider Kocatepe ship, sent to tow the cargo ship, was also targeted, the ministry said. The ministry did not specify whether there were any casualties in the attacks. According to local Turkish media, the container ship was towed to the Turkish port of Samsun.
Ankara has been calling for weeks on Ukraine and Russia to stop their attacks on civilian ships in the Black Sea. Each warring party has sought to damage the other's sources of export revenue as part of their conflict, which Russia began in 2022 with its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Turkish merchant ships are active in the Black Sea, flying the flags of various countries, and several have been hit by drones suspected of being launched from Ukraine.
Turkey, a NATO member that maintains relations with both Kiev and Moscow, has not joined Western sanctions imposed on Russia. On August 8, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan called for a "moratorium" on attacks in the Black Sea. "The conflict has spread throughout the Black Sea," he said at the time, complaining that "they are attacking all merchant ships indiscriminately."