ISTANBUL \/ WASHINGTON(National Times)- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday that attacks targeting civilian vessels in the Black Sea were unacceptable, urging Russia and Ukraine to \u201cact responsibly\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Despite its ties with both Russia and Ukraine, Turkiye has been angered by attacks on commercial vessels in the Black Sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt is clear that attacks against civilian vessels and actions that further escalate tensions in the Black Sea serve no one\u2019s interests,\u201d Erdogan told a news conference with Ukraine\u2019s President Volodymyr Zelensky in Istanbul.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe cannot accept these attacks under any circumstances, regardless of who carries them out or what justification is offered. We call on all parties to act responsibly on this matter,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Says attacks on civilian vessels \u2018unacceptable\u2019; Zelensky discusses security, peace efforts with Turkish president<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ankara has sent a proposal to Russia and Ukraine to end strikes on civilian ships, but says the two countries have failed to act on it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Zelensky accused Russia of making the situation in the Black Sea difficult, saying a significant part of his talks with Erdogan had focused on security concerns in the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Erdogan said discussions aimed at restoring the safety of navigation in the Black Sea would continue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI believe that reaching an agreement on this issue would also give fresh impetus to efforts to secure lasting peace in Ukraine,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Erdogan also welcomed renewed momentum behind efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war through \u201cdiplomatic means\u201d, referring in particular to US President Donald Trump\u2019s initiative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAt this point, we maintain that there can be no losers in a just peace,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Last week, the Kremlin said the next round of talks between Russia, Ukraine and the US was expected to resume in November in the UAE.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Zelensky said he had discussed the format of the talks with Erdogan, as well as other possibilities, \u201cin particular the possibilities of involving Turkiye, involving Europe, involving all partners\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Patriot missiles
The Trump administration has approved the sale of 500 Patriot missiles to Ukraine, the US State Department said, but the Ukrainian president warned that deliveries could take years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The approval, which will be submitted to Congress for review, comes after weeks of complaints by Ukrainian authorities that their supplies of the interceptor missiles were dwindling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe proposed sale will improve Ukraine\u2019s capability to meet current and future threats by improving its integrated air and missile defence capabilities,\u201d the department said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The statement did not provide an estimate of when the weapons could be delivered to Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, Zelensky said late on Friday in a post on X that \u201cdeliveries may begin only in a few years\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ISTANBUL \/ WASHINGTON(National Times)- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday that attacks targeting civilian vessels in the Black Sea were unacceptable, urging Russia and Ukraine to \u201cact responsibly\u201d. Despite its ties with both Russia and Ukraine, Turkiye has been angered by attacks on commercial vessels in the Black Sea. \u201cIt is clear that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":135762,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-135761","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-international","entry"],"yoast_head":"\n