Turkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has urged both Russia and Ukraine to stop targeting civilian ships in the Black Sea, as he and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy agreed to work on a new grain corridor through the waterway, Al Jazeera reports.
Erdogan made the comments on Saturday at a joint news conference with Zelenskyy in Istanbul, saying attacks on civilian vessels were unacceptable, whoever carries them out.
The talks came on the same day US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said there was growing international interest in a limited ceasefire in the Black Sea to secure grain and energy shipments by both countries.
“It is clear that attacks against civilian vessels and actions that further escalate tensions in the Black Sea serve no one’s interests,” Erdogan said.
“We cannot accept these attacks under any circumstances, regardless of who carries them out or what justification is offered,” he said, adding, “We call on all parties to act responsibly on this matter.”
Turkiye, which maintains ties with both Moscow and Kyiv, has been angered by the strikes on commercial shipping.
Ankara has sent Russia and Ukraine a proposal to end attacks, but says neither side has acted on it.
