Turkey warns Russia over Black Sea risks, offers to mediate talks

Turkey’s foreign minister told Russia to avoid any steps in the Black Sea that could threaten regional security and Ankara’s own interests, sharpening a message that mixes warning with diplomacy. Hakan Fidan repeated Turkey’s offer to host more talks between Kyiv and Moscow after meeting Sergei Lavrov in Moscow, as Ankara tried again to keep itself positioned as a bridge between the two warring sides.

The Turkish warning landed against a backdrop of months of mutual accusations between Ukraine and Russia over drone attacks on tankers near Turkey’s northern coast, including one strike on a Turkish-owned vessel. For Ankara, those incidents are not a side issue. The Black Sea carries commercial shipping, energy flows and navigation traffic that directly affect Turkish trade, maritime safety and the country’s wider regional leverage.

Fidan said Turkey’s priority was for the two sides to resume negotiations and end the war as soon as possible. He also said he conveyed Turkey’s expectation that neither side should take actions that could harm Turkish interests, and that he and Lavrov discussed ways to ensure safe navigation in the region. That formulation signals where Ankara draws the line: repeated attacks on tankers, threats to vessels linked to Turkey, or any move that makes Black Sea transit less safe would collide with Turkish economic and security concerns.

The diplomatic posture reflects a balancing act Turkey has maintained since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Ankara has hosted earlier rounds of direct talks between the two sides, preserved cordial relations with both capitals, and kept its channels open to Moscow even as it remains a NATO member. That dual role gives Turkey room to press for de-escalation, but it also leaves Ankara exposed if fighting moves closer to its coast or spills further into maritime commerce.

The stakes are broader than one bilateral warning. If attacks on shipping continue, insurance costs can rise, grain and energy flows can be disrupted, and the Black Sea can look less like a trade corridor and more like a contested military zone. Turkey’s message to Moscow was therefore plain: do not endanger Turkish shipping, navigation or energy interests, and keep the door open to talks if a negotiated path remains on the table.