Zelenskyy: Türkiye commits to maritime role in Ukraine’s security guarantees

Türkiye has expressed its readiness to participate in Ukraine’s security guarantee framework, specifically taking responsibility for maritime security, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed.

"Türkiye has stated that it wants to be part of Ukraine's security guarantees, taking responsibility for maritime security," Zelenskyy said, as reported by Ukrainian media.

The announcement follows high-level talks in Washington on August 18, where President Zelenskyy met with leaders from the United States, France, Germany, Britain, Italy, Finland, as well as the President of the European Commission and the NATO Secretary General. The discussions focused on prospects for providing security guarantees for Ukraine.

During the meetings, participants considered the creation of a mechanism that would partially replicate the principles of Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, without Ukraine becoming a NATO member.

US President Donald Trump confirmed that the United States would join the guarantee system but emphasised that the main responsibility should rest with European countries, while ruling out the deployment of American troops to Ukraine.

Zelenskyy noted that the details of the guarantees are expected to be agreed upon within ten days. Meanwhile, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni proposed a format of collective security guarantees for Ukraine that does not include NATO membership.

The talks come amid differing international positions. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov suggested that Moscow would agree to such a mechanism only if China participated, an idea Ukraine rejected, emphasising that guarantees must come from countries that actively support it. Russia also offered to act as one of Ukraine’s security guarantors, but the White House quickly rejected this proposal.

Moreover, Romania has emerged as a potential key player in Ukraine’s security guarantees, signalling its readiness to provide military bases to NATO allies to support the initiative.

By Tamilla Hasanova