Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened on Tuesday that Moscow may consider striking the ships of countries backing Ukraine if attacks on Russia’s tanker fleet continue.

He said Russia would intensify strikes on port infrastructure and vessels that enter Ukrainian ports and would take measures against ships of countries that help Ukraine.

“How might we respond? First, we will expand the range of our strikes against port infrastructure and ships that enter Ukrainian ports. That is the first point. Second, if this does not stop, we will consider the possibility – I am not saying we will necessarily do so, but we will consider that possibility – of reciprocal attacks against the ships of those countries that help Ukraine carry out these acts of piracy,” Putin said to reporters on Tuesday.

His remarks followed a string of hits on tankers off the coast of Türkiye tied to Russia’s fleet which have been linked to Ukraine.

Putin described the recent Ukrainian attacks on vessels in the Black Sea as acts of piracy. He noted that strikes on tankers taking place in neutral waters – and in some cases even within the exclusive economic zone of another state – can only be regarded as piracy. He stressed that such actions have no justification.

“I am aware of the attacks on tankers in neutral waters, not even in neutral waters, but in the exclusive economic zone of a third state. This is nothing short of piracy. The Ukrainian armed forces tried to hit our seaports before as well. We responded – we did not start these operations – with reciprocal strikes. I assure you that ours were much more effective and devastating. They primarily targeted the ships that were used to deliver military equipment, materiel, and ammunition to Ukraine. We hit the targets we intended to hit, which we knew from secondary explosions we observed via aerial reconnaissance,” Putin told reporters in response to a query about attacks on vessels in the Black Sea.

He even mentioned what he called the most radical option – cutting Ukraine off from the sea entirely, which, he argued, would make any form of “piracy” impossible.

That was followed by two large oil tankers coming under attack in the Black Sea and then, on Tuesday, a Russian-flagged tanker carrying sunflower oil from Russia to Georgia 80 nautical miles off the Turkish coast.

Putin expressed hope that Russia’s countermeasures would force the authorities in Kiev to reconsider the logic of continuing these attacks.

Putin commented: “The most radical option would be to cut Ukraine off from the sea. Then piracy would be impossible in principle. But these are the things to think about if other measures fail. I hope the Ukrainian military and political leadership and those who stand behind them will give it a thought to see whether this practice is worth continuing.”

Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha stated that for the second day in a row, Putin makes statements demonstrating that he does not plan to end the war.

“Yesterday he said he was prepared to fight through the winter. Today, he threatens sea ports and freedom of navigation. And these threats are directed first and foremost at Odesa, which President Trump spoke about with a lot of warmth,” Sybiha wrote on X.

Five hours of talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump’s senior negotiator appear to have failed to produce a breakthrough on securing a Ukraine peace deal.

Kremlin officials said yesterday the discussions with the special envoy of the US President Steve Witkoff, were “constructive, substantive, and lasted five hours,” but “there were points with which we could agree,” and “there were points that drew criticism.”

Trump’s special envoy attended the talks after weeks of intensive diplomacy aimed at ending the war.

Asked about the proposal after the Moscow meeting with the two representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Putin’s aide Yury Ushakov said the Kremlin “agreed with some points… but other elements elicited some criticism.” He added: “No compromise option has yet been found. However, some of the American proposals appear more or less acceptable. We agreed to continue contacts with the American side at the level of respective representatives, aides, and other officials, particularly with the two individuals who visited the Kremlin today.”