Madar (International) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has urged both Russia and Ukraine to stop targeting civilian ships in the Black Sea, and agreed with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to work on a new grain corridor through the waterway, Al Jazeera English reported on Saturday, October 31, 2026, citing AFP and Reuters.
"It is clear that attacks against civilian vessels and actions that further escalate tensions in the Black Sea serve no one's interests," Erdogan told a joint news conference with Zelenskyy in Istanbul. "We cannot accept these attacks under any circumstances, regardless of who carries them out or what justification is offered," he said, calling on all parties to act responsibly.
Turkiye, which maintains ties with both Moscow and Kyiv, has sent the two sides a proposal to end attacks on commercial shipping but says neither has acted on it. Zelenskyy accused Russia of making the situation in the Black Sea difficult. "Today, I reached an agreement with President Erdogan to work on the Black Sea grain corridor," he said.
The talks came on the same day US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said there was growing international interest in a limited Black Sea ceasefire to secure grain and energy shipments by both countries, adding that Washington was reviewing proposals by Turkiye and India. "It doesn't solve the war, but at least it solves a unique aspect of it," Rubio told a news conference in Atlanta after a G20 foreign ministers meeting.
Erdogan welcomed renewed momentum behind diplomatic efforts to end the war, pointing in particular to US President Donald Trump's initiative, and said "there can be no losers in a just peace". The Kremlin said last week that the next round of talks between Russia, Ukraine and the United States was planned to resume in November in the United Arab Emirates. Zelenskyy said he had discussed that format with Erdogan, along with other options including a possible meeting in Turkiye.
