Black Sea security talks underway in Ankara, Zelensky says

Negotiations on Black Sea security are underway in Ankara and could shape the region’s post-war stability, President Volodymyr Zelensky said during an April 15 press conference with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Odesa.

The talks involve Ukraine, the UK, France, and Turkey, and include discussions about deploying foreign military personnel to safeguard Black Sea waters.

“This is not about ending the war, this is about what will happen after the cease-fire – security guarantees,” Zelensky said.

He noted that Turkey could play a key role in future regional security guarantees and stressed the importance of a military presence to protect coastal cities like Odesa and Mykolaiv.

“We are talking about the presence of a contingent at sea, and we believe that Turkey can have a serious place in future security guarantees for the sea,” Zelensky added.

Turkey has positioned itself as a potential mediator in Russia’s all-out war against Ukraine by maintaining diplomatic and economic ties with both nations. Leveraging its strategic position and influence in the Black Sea region, Turkey has facilitated negotiations and grain exports, while expressing willingness to participate in ceasefire monitoring.

While Kyiv on March 11 immediately agreed to accept a U.S. proposal for a 30-day ceasefire without conditions, Russia refused the terms. Following additional talks with the U.S., Russia nominally agreed to a partial truce on the Black Sea and on energy infrastructure attacks.

Any Ukraine-Russia peace deal will be ‘difficult to digest,’ Turkish FM says

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“It will be extremely difficult to digest any proposal,” Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said. “But when we look at the other option, which is more death and destruction, I think whatever the conditions that we have… will be more reasonable.”