Turkey has shifted the rhetoric to declare Russia’s assaults on Ukraine a “war”. Such a shift reportedly took place on Sunday. It further decided to implement an international pact that looks at limiting the transit of Russia’s warships to the Black Sea from the Mediterranean.

Kyiv had pleaded to Ankara to prevent any more Russian vessels from accessing the Black Sea, from which Moscow introduced an incursion on the southern coast of Ukraine. More than a submarine and six Russian warships transited the straits of Turkey this month.

Balancing Western commitments and past ties with Moscow, Ankara has recently recognized Russia’s attack to be unacceptable but till Sunday, it chose not to describe the situation as a war in Ukraine.

The rhetorical alteration permits NATO member Turkey to implement the articles of the Montreux Convention that permits limiting transit of Dardanelles and Bosphorus in times of war, or when threatened.

Cavusoglu mentioned that Turkey cannot stop all the warships from Russia that want to access the Black Sea. This is because due a clause in the pact necessitates exempting those that want to return to the registered base.

Turkey maintains good rapport with both Ukraine and Russia. Even though NATO members have hit Moscow with their sanctions, a step that is too far by Ankara may impact its Russian trade, tourism, and energy imports at a time when there’s massive domestic and economic turmoil.

Reference: thenationalnews.com

Background: