ISTANBUL: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for a “limited ceasefire” concerning attacks on ports and energy facilities in the Russia-Ukraine war, in face-to-face talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Friday.

Speaking on the sidelines of a summit in Turkmenistan, Erdogan told Putin that efforts to end the war were valuable, saying “implementing a limited ceasefire targeting energy facilities and ports in particular could be beneficial” in that respect, according to a readout from his office.

Erdogan’s remarks came on the heels of several attacks on Russia-linked tankers in the Black Sea, some of which were drone attacks claimed by Kyiv.

The attacks sparked harsh criticism from Ankara, which summoned envoys from both Russia and Ukraine, warning the strikes amounted to a “worrying escalation”.

Speaking to reporters in Kyiv on Thursday, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said Turkiye was working on plans for a ceasefire specifically linked to energy infrastructure and shipping.

Turkish ship damaged in strike on a port in Ukraine’s Odesa region.

“President Erdogan mentioned this to me. I told him we would support it. He wanted to organise a corresponding meeting, initially at team level, then at the leaders’ level. I told him we are ready,” he said.

“Today, the United States believes we are close to an agreement,” he added.

“From what I understand, the Russians simply told them that they would not agree to any (interim) ceasefire unless an agreement is signed,” Zelensky said, referring to a full and complete peace deal.

Turkiye, which has sought to maintain relations with Moscow and Kyiv throughout the war, controls the Bosphorus Strait, a key passage for transporting Ukrainian grain and Russian oil towards the Mediterranean.

Erdogan said last month a ceasefire deal covering energy and port infrastructure constituted a potential basis for negotiations toward a comprehensive peace agreement, during an online meeting of Ukraine’s allies.

Turkish ship damaged

A Turkish-owned vessel was damaged in an alleged Russian strike on a port in Ukraine’s Black Sea region of Odesa, Kyiv and the operator said in statements on Friday.

The attack triggered fresh calls from Ankara to halt strikes on port infrastructure.

“Russia launched a missile strike on civilian port infrastructure in the Odesa region,” Ukraine’s Restoration Minister Oleksiy Kuleba said on Telegram, adding that a Turkish ferry had been damaged and there were no casualties.

Turkish maritime company Cenk Shipping said in a statement that its vessel “loaded entirely with fresh fruits, vegetables and food supplies on the Karasu-Odesa route, was subjected to an air attack today, shortly after docking at the Chornomorsk port.”

Published in Dawn, December 13th, 2025