Turkey broke its silence after a Russian missile strike on the vessel Cenk Roro in the port of Chornomorsk in Ukraine’s Odesa region. Turkey’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement confirming its concerns that the war in Ukraine could spread to the Black Sea, posing a threat to maritime security and freedom of navigation.
The ministry confirmed that the targeted vessel belongs to a Turkish company and said the crew and truck drivers carried by the ship were evacuated. No Turkish citizens were injured. Turkey’s consulate in Odesa is monitoring the situation and providing necessary assistance to its citizens.
The Foreign Ministry called for an end to the war between Ukraine and Russia and emphasized the need for an agreement to prevent attacks that undermine maritime security in the Black Sea. Ankara also reiterated its proposal for a moratorium on strikes against energy and port infrastructure.
Notably, the ministry’s statement did not specify that the vessel was attacked by Russian occupying forces.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, commenting on the strike on the vessel in the port of Chornomorsk, expressed confidence that only international pressure on the aggressor state would force it to stop attacking civilian targets.
Preliminary information indicates the strike on the Turkish ship in the Odesa region was carried out with Iskander-M ballistic missiles. A fire broke out on board as a result of the strike.
The attack came almost immediately after a meeting in Ashgabat between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian leader Vladimir Putin, at which the Turkish president proposed a moratorium on strikes against ports and energy infrastructure.
