Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Wednesday discussed growing security concerns in the Black Sea after a series of attacks on tankers linked to Russia, according to information provided by a Turkish Foreign Ministry source and reported by Reuters.
Turkey, a NATO member that maintains working ties with both Kyiv and Moscow, has expressed alarm over recent strikes on Russia-linked vessels inside Turkey’s exclusive economic zone. Turkish officials have condemned the attacks and urged “all parties” to stop targeting commercial shipping.
The incidents have rattled the maritime industry. Insurance rates for Black Sea routes have climbed, and one major Turkish operator, Beşiktaş Shipping, suspended its Russia-related activities over security risks.
Ukraine has said it targeted two empty tankers headed for a Russian port with sea drones last week, part of its campaign to curb Moscow’s oil revenue as Russia continues strikes on Ukraine’s power grid. Kyiv, however, denied involvement in another episode on Tuesday in which a Russian-flagged tanker carrying sunflower oil reported coming under a drone attack off the Turkish coast.
Beşiktaş Shipping also reported that one of its tankers working on Russia-related routes was damaged by external impacts near Senegal. No actor has claimed responsibility.
Fidan and Rutte discussed Black Sea security and broader diplomatic efforts to end the nearly four-year war during their meeting on the sidelines of a NATO gathering in Brussels, the ministry source said, according to Reuters.
Fidan also met with his counterparts from Bulgaria and Romania on the sidelines of the meeting, a Turkish foreign ministry source told Agence France-Presse.
All three countries have the Black Sea as at least part of their coastline.
Minister of Foreign Affairs @HakanFidan participated in the Trilateral Meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Türkiye-Bulgaria-Romania, with Georg Georgiev, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria and Oana Toiu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Romania, on the margins of the… pic.twitter.com/pzi5WiQW5I
— Turkish MFA (@MFATurkiye) December 3, 2025
During that meeting “the importance attached to the security of the Black Sea for the three NATO member littoral states was emphasized,” the foreign ministry source said.
“It was stressed that freedom of navigation and compliance with international legal rules in the Black Sea are necessary.”
Turkey has warned that attacks in its exclusive economic zone amount to a serious escalation. Russian President Vladimir Putin has responded with threats to block Ukraine’s access to the sea and has signaled intensified strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure and vessels, along with possible action against tankers belonging to countries assisting Ukraine.
Ayhan Zeytinoğlu, the head of Turkey’s Economic Development Foundation, called the targeting of merchant ships in Turkey’s maritime zone “a dangerous escalation of the war in Ukraine” during a forum in İstanbul on Wednesday.
Separately, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan told French President Emmanuel Macron in a phone call that Turkey is working to revive talks in İstanbul aimed at reaching a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, according to a readout from his office cited by Reuters.