Turkey summoned Ukraine’s ambassador following a series of attacks earlier this week on Turkish vessels in the Black Sea, the Turkish Foreign Ministry announced on Friday. The incidents occurred on Wednesday and Thursday, involving a Turkish container ship and a second ship sent to assist it.

According to the ministry, the container ship Lider Bordo Mavi was struck while operating near the Russian coastline in the Black Sea on Wednesday. The following day, the Lider Kocatepe, dispatched to tow the damaged vessel, was also targeted. The ministry did not provide details regarding any casualties resulting from the attacks.

Local Turkish media reported that the damaged Lider Bordo Mavi was subsequently towed to the port of Samsun. The ministry emphasized the importance of safeguarding lives, property, navigation, and the marine environment in the region during its meeting with Ukraine’s ambassador.

Turkey has repeatedly urged both Ukraine and Russia to halt attacks on civilian vessels traversing the Black Sea. The assaults are part of broader hostilities that have extended to targeting each side’s export channels amid the ongoing conflict initiated by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Turkish commercial ships, often sailing under various national flags, remain active in the Black Sea and have been subjected to attacks, including drone strikes that Turkey attributes to Ukrainian forces. As a NATO member maintaining diplomatic ties with both Kyiv and Moscow, Turkey has refrained from imposing Western sanctions on Russia.

Earlier this month, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan called for a “moratorium” on attacks in the Black Sea, highlighting the escalating danger to commercial shipping. “The conflict has spread across the whole Black Sea,” Fidan said on August 8, expressing concern that “they are attacking all commercial shipping without distinction.”