NATO member Turkey declined on Jan. 2 to allow two British minesweeping vessels to pass through its territorial waters to reach embattled Ukraine’s Black Sea coast.
The UK had pledged the two ships to Ukraine’s navy last month as part of a British–Norwegian maritime security coalition.
“Our allies have been duly informed that the British minesweeping vessels given to Ukraine will not be allowed to enter the Black Sea through the Turkish Straits as long as the war [between Russia and Ukraine] continues,” the Turkish presidency said in a statement, indicating that Ankara’s NATO allies were informed of the decision.
Russia began its invasion of eastern Ukraine in early 2022. The conflict, which shows little sign of ending soon, will enter its third year late next month.
Ankara cited the 1936 Montreux Convention, which allows Turkey to close the Dardanelles and Bosporus straits to military vessels belonging to countries in a state of war, to justify the move.
Located in Turkish territorial waters, the two strategic waterways link the Mediterranean to the Black Sea via Turkey’s Sea of Marmara.
UK–Norway Maritime Coalition
The UK pledged to provide the two Sandown-class minesweeping vessels to the Ukrainian navy in mid-December 2023. The announcement came as part of a British–Norwegian maritime coalition aimed at enhancing Ukrainian naval operations and ensuring security in the Black Sea.At the time, British officials said the two vessels would allow Ukraine’s navy to counter the threat of Russian mines and safeguard its maritime export lanes.
“This capability boost marks the beginning of a new dedicated effort by the UK, Norway, and our allies to strengthen Ukraine’s maritime capabilities over the long term,” UK Defense Minister Grant Shapps said on Dec. 11.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy responded by thanking the two founding members of NATO for contributing to his country’s maritime security.
“Together, we will strengthen the Ukrainian navy, safeguard maritime transportation routes, and secure freedom of navigation,” Mr. Zelenskyy said on social media.
The Black Sea coastline is shared between Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania, Russia, Turkey, and Ukraine.
Before Russia’s invasion, Ukraine had accounted for most of the coastline (1,730 miles), followed by Turkey (825 miles) and Russia (495 miles).
Turkish ‘Impartiality’
When Russia first launched its invasion, Ankara was quick to condemn the move.But Turkey has also declined to support Western-led sanctions on Moscow and is one of the few NATO members to do so.
What’s more, Turkey has maintained good relations with Russia, with which it shares extensive trade ties and a lengthy maritime border.
On Jan. 2, Turkey’s official anti-disinformation agency refuted claims that the two British vessels pledged to Ukraine had been granted permission to pass through the straits.
Such claims were “not accurate,” the agency said in a statement.
It also noted that Turkey views Russia’s ongoing invasion of eastern Ukraine as a “war,” as opposed to what Moscow has termed a “special military operation.”
Article 19 of the Montreux Convention allows Turkey to close the straits to the vessels of countries engaged in a “war,” the agency stated.
Since the Russia–Ukraine conflict erupted, Turkey has kept the straits closed to military vessels of both warring parties. Neither Russia nor Ukraine has requested Ankara’s permission to send its warships through the two waterways.
The Montreux Convention does allow military vessels from nonbelligerent states to traverse the straits during wartime.
But it also lets Turkey refuse passage to warships—from any country—if it believes such a move may risk drawing it into a conflict.
With this stipulation in mind, Ankara has also called on non-Black Sea states to refrain from sending warships through the straits for the duration of the conflict.
Signed on July 20, 1936, at Switzerland’s Montreux Palace, the convention was intended to settle who should control the strategic link between the Mediterranean and Black seas.
Along with Turkey, original signatories of the convention included the UK, the Soviet Union, France, Greece, Australia, and Japan.
The United States, for its part, has never signed the agreement.
According to Ankara, Turkey has applied the convention’s terms “meticulously and impartially” since it was signed almost nine decades ago.
