Turkey said on Tuesday it would not allow two British minesweepers bound for Ukraine to pass through its waters en route to the Black Sea, as it would violate an international pact on crossing its straits in time of war, Reuters reported.

Sandown-class minesweeper HMS ShorehamPhoto: Neil Watkin / Alamy / Alamy / Profimedia

Last month, Britain announced it would transfer two Royal Navy minehunters to the Ukrainian Navy to help bolster Ukraine’s maritime operations during the war with Russia.

Turkey, a NATO member, has informed its allies that it will not allow ships to use its Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits while the war in Ukraine continues, the Turkish presidential communications office said on Tuesday.

When Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Turkey invoked the 1936 Montreux Convention, effectively blocking the passage of warships to the warring parties. The agreement exempts ships from returning to base.

Turkey has implemented the convention impartially and thoroughly to prevent escalation in the Black Sea, the presidency also said.

Throughout the war, Ankara maintained ties with both Kyiv and Moscow.

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