New warship boosts Ukrainian fleet in Istanbul ceremony

Another ship was launched for the Ukrainian Navy in Istanbul. Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, who visited Ankara on Friday, stated that the new units will strengthen Ukraine's fleet and improve the defense of its maritime borders in the future.

Umerov reported that he met with his Turkish counterpart, Yasar Guler, to discuss bilateral defense cooperation and security in the Black Sea region.

The Ukrainian minister thanked Guler for supporting the project of building two ships for Ukraine. He noted that these new units will significantly bolster the Ukrainian fleet and enhance its ability to defend its maritime borders.

The corvette "Hetman Ivan Vyhovsky" was launched on Thursday in Istanbul. In addition to Umerov, the First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska, participated in the ceremony. The previous ship built for the Ukrainian forces, "Hetman Ivan Mazepa," was launched in October 2022.

Also on Friday, the Turkish agency Anadolu reported that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ratified the free trade agreement with Ukraine, signed at the beginning of 2022.

Turkish Trade Minister Omer Bolat announced that in 2023, bilateral trade between Turkey and Ukraine amounted to $7.3 billion. The trade between the countries primarily includes iron and steel, machinery, energy, the automotive industry, and grain.

The Ada-class corvette is an anti-submarine corvette class developed by Turkey. The ship is 327 feet long, and all ships in this series were built at the Istanbul Naval Shipyard.