Turkey Has Not Closed the Black Sea to Russian Warships
The Claim
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has banned the Russian warships' passage to the Black Sea.
News posted on
Emerging story
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky tweeted on February 26, 2022, thanking Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for banning Russian warships from the Black Sea.
Following Zelensky’s tweet, many social media users have circulated the news of the Turkish closing of the Black Sea to Russian warships.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar has investigated the claim and found it to be fake.
According to The Middle East Eye article, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan did not tell Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that Turkey would close the Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits to Russian warships. The website sources have mentioned that Turkey has not decided to close the straits to Russian ships.
Turkish official statement has cited that Erdogan spoke to Zelensky today, 26th February, and reassured him that Turkey is making efforts for an immediate ceasefire but did not mention anything related to the Black Sea closure.
Other websites have cited that Turkey hasn’t made any public statements “confirming the closure of the straits to Russian warships, although Recep Tayyip Erdoğan spoke with Zelensky by phone earlier today.”
