Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that the country may decide to close the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits for warships. He was quoted by the Russian media.

However, even under such conditions, Russia will have the right to use these straits to return its warships to bases.

"Ukraine has made an official request to us [to close the straits for the passage of Russian warships]. The provisions of the Montreux Convention are very clear and precise. Until today, Turkey has not hesitated to comply with the Montreux Convention. In a war in which Turkey is not a party, measures may be taken against the countries involved. Turkey can restrict the passage of warships through the straits. However, the Montreux Convention also stipulates that the ships of the countries involved in the war can return to their bases and they should be allowed to do so," the Hürriyet newspaper quoted the minister as saying.