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Turkish diplomat pours cold water on idea of NATO sea escorts of Ukrainian grain shipments

According to Huseyin Dirioz, "the grain deal was implemented under the auspices of the United Nations and the United Nations should be in the center of similar steps toward de-escalation"

ANKARA, July 26. /TASS/. The NATO allies will not support the idea of dispatching the North Atlantic Alliance’s warships to escort vessels carrying Ukrainian grain via the Black Sea in the wake of Russia’s refusal to extend the grain deal, said former Turkish Ambassador to Moscow Huseyin Dirioz.

"US President Joe Biden recently said he was reluctant to bring a country being at war with Russia into the alliance to avoid the transformation of the situation into a NATO-Russia conflict. Therefore, I don’t think the idea would find much support. Apart from being a NATO member, Turkey should continue to move ahead with caution as a country that provides access to the Black Sea under the Montreux Convention," the Milliyet newspaper quoted Dirioz as saying.

According to the Turkish diplomat, "the grain deal was implemented under the auspices of the United Nations and the United Nations should be in the center of similar steps toward de-escalation." "NATO’s mandate envisages the protection of allies. I doubt there is a [Black Sea grain export-related] situation that would fit into this framework," Dirioz maintained.

On Tuesday, retired US Navy Admiral James Stavridis opined that NATO warships could form convoys to escort vessels loaded with Ukrainian grain across the Black Sea now that Russia has pulled out of the grain deal. According to his idea, NATO aviation could patrol the routes and track the location of Russian Black Sea Fleet vessels. Several squadrons of fighters could be assigned to NATO bases in northern Turkey, Romania or Bulgaria, he said. Also, air and naval drones could be engaged.

Meanwhile, Turkish officials have said that Ankara has been a responsible party to the Montreux Convention and has denied requests to sail naval vessels through the Bosporus and the Dardanelles.

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Ukraine crisis United States NATO Turkey

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