Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
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Erdogan Plans to Speak With Putin About Ending Ukraine War
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he intends to talk with Russian President Vladimir Putin about efforts to end the war in Ukraine following his October 31 meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Istanbul. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said no concrete meeting plan existed, but a conversation could be arranged quickly if needed.
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Zelensky and Erdoğan agree to work on Black Sea Grain Corridor in Istanbul talks
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met in Istanbul to discuss ending the war, broader negotiations, and Black Sea shipping security. They agreed to work on restoring and improving the Black Sea Grain Corridor and considered a Ukraine-US-Russia meeting in Turkey with wider international participation.
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Zelenskyy meets Erdoğan in Istanbul to discuss Ukraine-Russia talks and Black Sea security
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Türkiye on October 31, 2026, at President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s invitation and met him in Istanbul. Their talks covered bilateral cooperation, the Russia-Ukraine war, Black Sea navigation security and the possibility of Türkiye joining negotiations to end the war.
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Drones strike two commercial ships in Bulgaria's Black Sea zone; one sinks, crew missing
On 6 October, drones attacked two commercial vessels in Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone in the Black Sea. The Togo-flagged ALFA WATAN sank and its crew is missing, while the Palau-flagged ABLE caught fire and its 18 crew were evacuated to the Bulgarian ferry DIOSCURIA. Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev called the attack a gross violation of international law and convened an emergency meeting of ministries and security services. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky blamed Russia; Bulgarian officials said responsibility was not yet established.
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Turkey and UN to mediate new Russia–Ukraine Black Sea ceasefire talks in early October
Turkey and the United Nations are organizing a new round of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine on a ceasefire in the Black Sea to protect grain and food exports. Meetings are scheduled for early October, with the Swiss NGO Center for Humanitarian Dialogue acting as mediator. The initiative, launched in September, seeks to recreate the 2022 Black Sea Grain Initiative and was discussed at a closed meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly attended by officials from Turkey, the US, European countries, India and Egypt.
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EU extends Ukraine sanctions for three years but drops Usmanov and Fridman, prompting Ukrainian criticism
On 22 September, the EU Council extended Ukraine-related sanctions for 36 months until 22 September 2029, the first time the regime has been renewed for three years instead of the usual six-month cycle. In the same decision, the EU removed Russian oligarchs Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman from the list. Ukraine called the delisting "shameful" and unjustified, and the Baltic states announced national sanctions in response. A day later, on 23 September, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev pardoned French citizen Martin Ryan, who had been sentenced to ten years in prison on espionage charges that France rejects.
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EU extends Ukraine-related sanctions three years but drops Usmanov and Fridman in compromise
EU ambassadors agreed on 22 September to extend the bloc's individual sanctions related to Ukraine's territorial integrity for 36 months, until 22 September 2029, in a compromise that removes Russian oligarchs Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman from the list. Latvia, the only holdout, lifted its veto and abstained, and announced it will impose its own national sanctions against the two men.