Erdogan says Black Sea ship attacks must stop after talks with Zelensky in Istanbul

The essentials: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on October 31, 2026 that he could not accept attacks on civilian ships in the Black Sea, “regardless of who carries them out”, after talks in Istanbul with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Zelensky said the two had agreed to work on a grain corridor. The meeting came three days after a Liberian-flagged container ship was hit by drones in Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone.

What did the two leaders say?

Speaking at a joint news conference, Erdogan said attacks on civilian vessels and moves that raise tensions “serve no one’s interests”, according to AFP, quoted by Al Jazeera. He called on all parties to act responsibly and said an agreement on the issue could give fresh impetus to efforts to secure a lasting peace in Ukraine. Erdogan named no country.

Zelensky was more direct about the outcome. “Today, I reached an agreement with President Erdogan to work on the Black Sea grain corridor,” he said, according to Al Jazeera, which reports that he also accused Russia of making the situation at sea difficult. “Our goal is to ensure that this corridor continues to exist and operates effectively,” he added, quoted by The Kyiv Independent.

The reports we reviewed gave no details of the arrangement, such as routes or guarantees.

Which ships have been hit?

The war’s maritime front has widened since the summer, with Turkish-linked vessels among the targets.

Date	Ship	Location	What happened
August 2026	Nadezhda, cargo ship	Near Novorossiysk, Russia	Hit by a drone; three crew seriously injured
Late August	Lider Bordo Mavi, Turkish-operated container ship	Off Tuapse, Russia	Struck, then towed to Samsun, Turkey
Late August	Lider Kocatepe	On its way to help the Lider Bordo Mavi	Targeted by a drone the next day
October 28	Contship Jet, Liberian-flagged container ship	Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone	Struck by drones

Source: Al Jazeera.

Responsibility is disputed. In August, Al Jazeera wrote that several Turkish ships had been hit by drones thought to have been launched by Ukraine, and Ankara summoned the Ukrainian ambassador on August 29. Its statement did not name Ukraine as the attacker. The Kyiv Independent says strikes by both Russia and Ukraine have intensified.

What is Turkey proposing?

Turkey called in August for a moratorium on strikes against vessels, according to The Kyiv Independent, and has sent both sides a proposal to end the attacks. It says neither has acted on it, Al Jazeera reports. The Kyiv Independent writes that Kyiv has declared itself ready to accept a moratorium, while Moscow has shown no interest.

Ankara has also issued a warning. After meeting his Bulgarian and Romanian counterparts in Sofia in late October, Defence Minister Yaşar Güler warned both sides and said Turkey reserved its legal rights if Turkish-flagged or Turkish-owned ships were struck, Daily Sabah reports.

The stakes go beyond Turkey. The 2022 Black Sea Grain Initiative, which Ankara helped set up, collapsed in 2023 after Russia withdrew. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in Atlanta that the situation “is threatening the world for food security and some energy security as well”, according to Al Jazeera, and that Washington was reviewing proposals from Turkey and India to get grain moving.

What happens next?

Erdogan said Ankara would keep talking to both sides, including Russia, Anadolu reports. The Kremlin has said a round of Russia-Ukraine-US talks should resume in November in the United Arab Emirates, according to Al Jazeera.

Expectations remain low. “I don’t think anyone here is claiming that we’re on the verge of a negotiated settlement,” Rubio told reporters at the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting in Atlanta, quoted by The Kyiv Independent. None of the reports we reviewed carried a Russian response to Erdogan’s remarks.