Turkey's Erdogan tells Ukraine's Zelenskiy that Black Sea attacks

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan told Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskiy that attacks by Russia and Ukraine on commercial vessels in the Black Sea were inexplicable and steps must be taken to stop these, according to a readout from his office on Thursday.



NATO member Turkey, which has maintained cordial ties with both Moscow and Kyiv since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, has repeatedly urged the warring sides to stop attacks in the Black Sea.



"During the meeting, President Erdogan stated that Turkey was ready to do all it can for the Ukraine-Russia war to end with lasting peace, that we will continue our efforts to revive direct negotiations," the Turkish presidency said in a statement.



"Our President stated that a step must be taken regarding navigational safety in the Black Sea, that attacks on commercial vessels are inexplicable, and that we expect the sides to act responsibly," it added.