Why Türkiye prohibited ships gifted to Ukraine from entering Black Sea Ukrainian Navy explains

Vice Admiral Oleksii Neizhpapa, Commander of the Ukrainian Navy, has named the specific ships gifted to Ukraine that Türkiye did not let into the Black Sea, along with the reasons for this decision.

"Türkiye has stated that they will not allow the minehunter ships Cherkasy and Chernihiv into the Black Sea. These two vessels were transferred to us at the beginning of 2023 and are already part of the Ukrainian Navy, although currently in the United Kingdom. There, our crews are training according to NATO standards, and upon the completion [of training], I believe these ships will be fully compatible with NATO countries in terms of mine countermeasure operations,” Neizhpapa, Commander of the Ukrainian Navy, said in an interview with Ukrainska Pravda.

“However, we did not request passage through the Türkiye straits for these ships because we understand that the Montreux Convention prohibits it. Otherwise, the Russian Federation could do the same and increase the number of, for example, missile carriers or landing ships. We understand this, and therefore, we did not attempt to do so,” he added.

The commander said that “minesweepers are sailing from the UK to Romania,” and added that “they are exactly the same, of the same class as ours. Perhaps, this issue arose in the press due to them. However, these are ships purchased in the United Kingdom by Romania for their own purposes".

Neizhpapa also confirmed that negotiations are ongoing regarding the involvement of NATO ships to ensure the safety of civilian shipping to the ports of Ukraine. However, he does not know when the agreements will be reached.

"We won't disclose the specific ships at this time, but I have contacted several commanders with requests. This is a matter of a political nature. Therefore, all my fleet commander friends have confirmed that if there is a political decision from the leadership, they will implement it. Currently, this issue is being raised at the presidential level. If he has said so, that means he and his office are working on it," he said.

At the beginning of January, Türkiye announced its intention to prohibit two minehunter ships, which the UK is handing over to Ukraine, from transiting through its waters on the way to the Black Sea. The Navy noted that it had not submitted a request to Türkiye for the passage of minehunter ships.

When Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Türkiye invoked the Montreux Convention of 1936, thus blocking the passage of warships to the warring parties.

In late November, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy said that Ukraine would receive boats to ensure the safety of vessels in the grain corridor.