Ukraine to urge Turkey to close straits on Russian ships if invaded

Ukraine considers the presence of Russian warships near its border in the Black Sea a serious danger and will ask Turkey to consider closing the passage to Russian ships in the Black Sea if Russian aggression escalates further, the ambassador said. of Ukraine in Turkey, Vasyl Bodnar on Wednesday, as reported by Reuters.

Earlier this month, six Russian warships and a submarine entered the Black Sea from the Dardanelles and Bosphorus Strait to conduct naval exercises, according to Moscow, near Ukraine.

Asked about the presence of Russian warships near the Ukrainian border, Bodnar told Reuters that the ships posed a “great danger” to Kiev, adding that the concentration of Russian naval forces in the Black Sea was “overwhelming”.

“We believe that in the event of a major military invasion or an outbreak of military activity against Ukraine – when the war will no longer be de facto but de jure – we will ask the Turkish government to consider closing the Straits for the Black Sea. “Sea for the attacker”.

Under the Montreux Treaty (1936), NATO member Turkey is obliged to keep the Dardanelles and Bosphorus Straits open. The agreement also gives Ankara the right to regulate the movement of warships and to close straits to foreign warships in times of war and when threatened.

“We have proposed a number of initiatives, ranging from consultative methods between the two sides, to the creation of a common mechanism for responding to threats to our security,” Bodnar said, adding that he continued to believe that a diplomatic solution was possible.

Earlier in the day, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Turkey, which has good relations with both Ukraine and Russia, could not abandon its ties with the two countries and would try to ensure that her relationships will remain intact.