Erdogan prevents passage of British ships for Ukraine
The UK donates two Royal Navy minesweepers to Ukraine. Now the handover of the ships is failing due to Turkey's blockade. Ankara prohibits the passage of warships through the straits of the Bosporus and the Dardanelles, justifying this with international agreements.
Turkey is blocking the handover of two minesweeper ships to Ukraine. The government in Ankara announced on Tuesday that it would not allow the two ships donated to Ukraine by the British navy to pass through its waters to the Black Sea. This would violate international agreements on the passage of the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits, which belong to Turkey, in times of war.
Last month, Great Britain announced that it would hand over two Royal Navy minesweepers to the Ukrainian navy. By handing over the two ships, the British want to form a new maritime defense coalition alongside Norway.
When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Turkey blocked the passage of warships from the countries involved in the war, i.e. Russia and Ukraine, in accordance with the Montreux Convention of 1936. According to the Montreux Convention, warships of non-belligerent parties are allowed to pass through the straits. The agreement also states that the Turkish government has the final say on the passage of all warships if Turkey feels it is in danger of being drawn into a war.
Turkey sees itself as a mediator in the Ukraine war. Even though Ankara sharply criticized the Russian invasion at the beginning, it is the only NATO country that has not joined the Western sanctions against Russia. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan maintains contacts with both Ukrainian President Zelenskyi and Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin. Turkey supplies combat drones to Ukraine while maintaining political, diplomatic and economic relations with Russia.
The country also played a key role in the conclusion of the grain agreement between Ukraine and Russia and escorted the transportation of Ukrainian grain through the Bosporus strait. Russia then allowed the previously agreed grain agreement to expire in July 2023. Talks between Putin and Turkish head of state Erdogan in Sochi at the beginning of September about a possible resumption failed. Putin emphasized that he only wanted to return to the grain agreement with Ukraine once all Russian demands had been met.
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- Despite Turkey blocking the passage of British ships for Ukraine, Great Britain has donated two Royal Navy minesweepers to Ukraine's navy, aiming to form a new maritime defense coalition with Norway.
- Vladimir Putin, the Russian leader, has accused Ukraine and its Western allies of preparing an 'Attack on Ukraine', justifying Russia's military presence in Ukraine, a claim strongly denied by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selensky.
- Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish President, has maintained contacts with both President Zelensky and Putin, serving as a mediator in the Wars and conflicts between Russia and Ukraine, while also supplying Ukraine with combat drones and maintaining political, diplomatic, and economic relations with Russia.
- Great Britain, along with other Western nations, imposed sanctions on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine, but Turkey has not joined these sanctions, reflecting its complex relationship with both Russia and Ukraine in the context of the ongoing conflict.
Source: www.ntv.de
