In March 2022, Ankara’s invocation of Article 19 of the Convention—closing the Straits to all warships, both belligerent and nonbelligerent—successfully limited the naval theater of the war against Ukraine, proving that the framework under Turkish sovereignty serves as a stable bulwark against Russian aggression and wider conflict. The coastline of the Black Sea is fully lined with mobile launchers, and Ukraine’s sinking of the Russian cruiser Moskva in the early stages of the war would be the fate of any warship that tried to navigate the constricted waters under satellite and drone surveillance. The reasons for renewed Western prioritization of the region are manifold: persisting Russian territorial ambitions; the rising significance of the Middle Corridor and the potential for Sino-Russian disruption on the trade route; fragility of the transactional Russo-Turkish rapport after the war in Ukraine; and NATO’s Article 5 security commitments.
Author: March 3, 2026
Published at: 2026-03-03 00:00:00
Still want to read the full version? Full article
