“No Official Closure Of Black Sea” – Russia

There’s some confusion about Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s claim earlier that Turkey had pledged to close the straits to access the Black Sea.

Russia, via the Interfax news agency, had said it has had no official notification of the closure. There is speculation that Zelenskiy’s tweet may have been a request for Turkey to take action, rather than a confirmation that it would be in place.

The Montreux Convention, which governs the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits, says that ships from Black Sea states will be allowed to return to port during wartime. If Turkey did go ahead and ban warships from the strait, it would break the convention.

Ukraine Denies Refusing Earlier Negotiations With Russia

Ukraine has denied that it refused negotiations with Russia, as claimed by the Kremlin on Saturday.

The head of the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s office, Mikhail Podolyak, said it was untrue and that Russia had set out “unacceptable conditions [and] ultimatum demands”.

On Saturday Vladimir Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov said Putin had ordered a halt to the Russian advance for negotiations, but Ukraine refused them.

“Ukraine, of course, did not refuse negotiations. But precisely from negotiations, which, by the way, have not happened yet. Ukraine and President Zelensky categorically renounce any unacceptable conditions or ultimatum demands from the Russian side,” Podolyak said.