Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz outlined Türkiye’s diplomacy-based approach to ending the war and restoring security in the Black Sea at the leaders’ summit of the Coalition of the Willing on Ukraine.
Yılmaz attended the summit online on behalf of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The meeting, which coincided with the 35th anniversary of Ukraine’s independence, addressed efforts to end the war between Moscow and Kyiv and establish a just and lasting peace.
Türkiye’s maritime role in the coalition
The Coalition of the Willing was established at the initiative of the United Kingdom and France following a summit held in London in March 2025. The coalition has more than 30 members, most of them European countries.
Türkiye has participated in the coalition’s activities since its establishment. If the necessary legal and political frameworks are completed and approved, Ankara is expected to lead the coalition’s maritime activities in the coming period.
Call for safe navigation in the Black Sea
Yılmaz said Türkiye would continue to support Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, and that the war should end through negotiations before causing further loss of life and destruction.
Yılmaz said the increasing risks of attacks in the Black Sea had recently posed a threat to civilians’ lives and property, adding that the safety of maritime transport and global food security were also affected by these risks.
Yılmaz said Türkiye was working to restore safe navigation by drawing on its experience with the Black Sea Grain Initiative.
Ankara’s goal of a ceasefire and lasting peace
Recalling that Türkiye is Ukraine’s strategic partner and a member of the Coalition of the Willing, Yılmaz said diplomacy-based efforts for a ceasefire and lasting peace would continue with determination.
The war between Russia and Ukraine has continued since February 24, 2022. Russia conditions ending the war on Kyiv’s abandoning plans to join Western military formations, while Kyiv views this approach as interference in its internal affairs.
