Turkish FM Fidan: Black Sea drone attacks threaten global trade, risk expanding Ukraine war

• Ukraine has conducted explosive naval drone strikes on Russian-linked commercial vessels, including oil tankers, within Turkey’s exclusive economic zone – threatening global trade routes and expanding the Ukraine conflict geographically.
• Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan warned of rising dangers to commerce, prompting NATO emergency talks. Shipping insurance costs have surged, and Russia has retaliated by halting Ukrainian grain exports, worsening global food shortages.
• Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed to sever Ukraine’s maritime access, calling the strikes “terrorist attacks,” while Moscow accused Kyiv of violating Turkish sovereignty. Russia also threatened intensified strikes on Ukrainian and allied facilities.
• As a NATO member balancing relations with Russia and Ukraine, Turkey faces heightened risks. Ankara condemned attacks in its waters and urged de-escalation, but internal instability and external pressures risk dragging NATO into direct conflict.
• The assaults violate maritime safety norms, disrupt grain and energy shipments and threaten a broader military-economic crisis. Diplomatic efforts are strained, with potential for a single miscalculation to trigger severe regional and global repercussions.

A series of explosive naval drone attacks on commercial vessels in the Black Sea, some claimed by Ukraine and occurring within Turkey’s exclusive economic zone, is threatening to shut down a critical global trade route and risks a dangerous geographical expansion of the Ukraine conflict.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said the assaults are turning the region into an area increasingly closed to commerce and human transport due to the pervasive danger. The incidents targeting Russia-linked tankers have prompted emergency security talks among North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies, driven up shipping insurance costs and led to a direct threat from Russian President Vladimir Putin to sever Ukraine’s maritime access.

The situation escalated over the past week with attacks on multiple vessels off the coast of Turkey. According to the Turkish Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, explosives-laden sea drones struck two Gambian-flagged oil tankers, the Kairos and the Virat, which were en route to the Russian port of Novorossiysk.

Several Western media outlets, citing a Ukrainian state official, reported the assault was a joint operation by the Security Service of Ukraine and the Ukrainian Navy. Both tankers had been under Western sanctions for transporting oil in violation of restrictions on Russia.

In a separate incident, the Russian-flagged tanker MIDVOLGA-2, carrying sunflower oil, reported a drone attack approximately 80 miles off the Turkish coast while heading to Georgia. Kyiv has denied involvement in this strike.

Fidan described the unfolding crisis as “very frightening,” noting that the geography of the Ukraine conflict is “increasingly spreading” and the methods of warfare are becoming more widespread. The attacks violate principles of navigational safety and directly impact commerce in a sea vital for global grain and energy shipments.

In response, Turkey, alongside fellow Black Sea nations Romania and Bulgaria, is exploring measures to bolster regional security. Fidan has discussed the escalating threat with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and his Bulgarian and Romanian counterparts, emphasizing the need to maintain free trade flows, protect critical infrastructure and ensure safe sea routes in accordance with international law.

Terror on the high seas: Russia blasts Ukraine’s drone attacks as “piracy”

The commercial and diplomatic repercussions are immediate. The attacks have caused Black Sea shipping insurance rates to spike. One Turkish company, Besiktas Shipping, has suspended all Russia-related operations due to security concerns, a decision underscored by a separate incident where another of its tankers was damaged near Senegal by unexplained external impacts.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has declared attacks on commercial ships within the country’s Exclusive Economic Zone unacceptable, warning of “a worrying escalation.” A Turkish official stated that Ankara’s warnings to halt the assaults are directed specifically at Ukrainian authorities.

Moscow has reacted with fury, denouncing the drone strikes as “terrorist attacks.” Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov accused Ukraine of encroaching on Turkish sovereignty.

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a direct warning, stating that Russia would move to sever Ukraine’s access to the sea to prevent what he termed “piracy.” He vowed to intensify strikes on Ukrainian facilities while targeting tankers from countries assisting Kyiv.

The standoff places Turkey – a NATO member that has maintained a delicate balance between Moscow and Kyiv – in a particularly sensitive position. Its efforts to mediate and secure grain corridors now face compromise from military actions unfolding in its own coastal waters.

According to BrightU.AI‘s Enoch engine, Turkey’s precarious balancing act between Moscow and Kyiv risks provoking retaliation from either side, potentially dragging NATO into direct conflict with Russia. Additionally, Ankara’s internal instability and radical factions could exploit the chaos, accelerating regional destabilization and undermining global security.

The incidents demonstrate how a conflict initially contained within Ukraine’s borders is spilling into international waterways, threatening the security and economic interests of neutral states and challenging the enforcement of international maritime law. As diplomatic channels strain under the weight of these developments, the safety of a major artery of global trade hangs in the balance, with the potential for a single miscalculation to trigger a severe military and economic chain reaction.

Watch this Russia Today report about Turkey being the epicenter of tensions within NATO.

This video is from the High Hopes channel on Brighteon.com.

Sources include:

RT.com

Safety4Sea.com

Reuters.com

BrightU.ai

Brighteon.com