Turkey has summoned the Ukrainian ambassador and the Russian chargé d'affaires to the Turkish Foreign Ministry to express its concerns over a series of attacks on ships linked to Russia in Turkey's exclusive economic zone in the Black Sea, Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Beris Ekinci said, quoted by Reuters and “Türkiye Today“, BTA reported.
“We are witnessing a very serious escalation of tensions between Russia and Ukraine in recent weeks, including multiple mutual attacks. "It ended up with attacks in the Black Sea and in our exclusive economic zone," Ekinci told the Mejlis foreign affairs committee today.
“Yesterday and today, we summoned the acting Russian embassy manager and the Ukrainian ambassador to express our concerns about the situation,“ he added.
Last Friday, two tankers, part of the so-called Russian “shadow fleet”, were hit by drones off Turkey's northern coast, and on Saturday, Ukrainian authorities claimed responsibility for the attack.
On Monday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that “attacks on merchant ships in the Black Sea are unacceptable” and issued a warning to “all parties involved”. However, on Tuesday, Turkish authorities reported that a Russian-flagged sunflower oil tanker had reported an attack while sailing in the Black Sea near the Turkish city of Sinop.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Yoncu Keçeli said the attacks on the vessels "Kairos" and "Virat" were carried out within Turkey's exclusive economic zone and "created serious risks to shipping, life, property and environmental safety in the region."
In a post on social media late last night, Keçeli added that Turkey was holding talks with "interested parties" to prevent the war in Ukraine from spreading to the Black Sea and to protect Turkey's economic interests.
Ukraine said it used naval drones to attack the two tankers off Turkey's Black Sea coast on Friday evening. The crews of both vessels are reportedly safe.
According to the Security Service of Ukraine, the tankers were empty and were traveling to the port of Novorossiysk, a major Russian oil terminal.
The OpenSanctions database, which tracks individuals and organizations involved in sanctions evasion, describes the vessels as part of the so-called "shadow fleet" - ships used to evade sanctions imposed on Russia after its 2012 invasion of Ukraine.
Ukraine has carried out successful naval strikes against Russian ships during the war, usually using explosive-laden sea-based drones. However, Ukraine's previous missions have generally been limited to waters in the northern Black Sea, the AP notes.