Reuters reported Wednesday that Turkey is awaiting Moscow and Kyiv’s replies to a Black Sea grain-shipping proposal, as Defense Minister Yasar Guler warned Ankara could take legal action over attacks on Turkish-flagged or Turkish-owned vessels.
Guler spoke in Sofia after a meeting of defense ministers and military chiefs from Turkey, Romania and Bulgaria. He said commercial shipping in the Black Sea had faced drone and missile attacks, as well as stray mines.
Separately, Reuters reported that a Greek container ship sailing under the Liberian flag was hit by three drones Wednesday inside Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone. The attacker was not identified.
At the meeting, Guler urged Russia and Ukraine to protect civilian navigation and stop attacks on commercial vessels. He said Turkey reserved its legal rights over strikes on Turkish-flagged or Turkish-owned ships.
Turkey has sent Moscow and Kyiv a proposal to curb the attacks and ensure grain can be shipped safely, and is awaiting their replies.
Reuters reported that Ukraine has targeted ships and infrastructure supporting Russian oil and grain exports since July. That month, Russia intensified missile and drone attacks on Odesa, Chornomorsk and Pivdennyi, Ukraine’s main grain export hubs.
At a late-September meeting, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy that Russian and Ukrainian attacks on Black Sea commercial vessels defied explanation and should stop.
Turkey, Romania and Bulgaria operate a Black Sea de-mining mission. Guler said they also agreed that protecting critical subsea infrastructure was important.
Reuters characterized the warning as Turkey’s clearest intervention so far. Ankara is waiting for Moscow and Kyiv to respond to its proposal; the report gave no timetable.
