Ukraine has taken delivery of a second Turkish-built navy corvette, officials said Friday, although they did not specify how the warships might be used in the war against Russia.
The announcement came as Ankara also ratified a free trade agreement (FTA) with Kyiv.
Ukraine's first lady, Olena Zelenska, attended the launching ceremony of the Ada-class corvette during a visit to Türkiye, the Ukrainian Presidency announced on its website.
The corvette Ukraine already had is currently undergoing sea trials.
Turkish Ada-class ships are typically able to strike planes, other ships and submarines.
The corvette was launched during a ceremony in Istanbul on Thursday, attended by Zelenska and Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov.
"Today in Istanbul, together with Ukraine's first lady Olena Volodymyrivna Zelenska, I took part in the launching of the Ukrainian corvette Hetman Ivan Vyhovskyi," Umerov said on social media platform X.
"Corvettes ‘Hetman Ivan Vyhovskyi' and ‘Hetman Ivan Mazepa,' which were built in Türkiye due to Russian aggression, are equipped with cutting-edge weapons and will become a significant addition to our fleet, increasing the defense capability of Ukraine," Umerov added.
On Friday, Umerov met with National Defense Minister Yaşar Güler for talks in the capital Ankara.
The FTA was signed on Feb. 3, 2022, and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan approved the deal and its annexes on Thursday.
Türkiye and Ukraine's bilateral trade volume was $7.3 billion in 2023, Trade Minister Ömer Bolat said on Thursday as he met with Yulia Svyrydenko, first deputy prime minister of Ukraine.
He said the sides reaffirmed determination to soon lift their bilaterate trade to $10 billion.
The main trade fields between the two countries are iron, steel, machinery, energy, automotive and grain.
Ukraine, which has coastlines on the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov, had a small navy at the time of Russia's February 2022 full-scale invasion.
But it has developed deadly uncrewed sea drones that have severely limited Moscow's Black Sea naval capability.
The Ukrainian Presidency said the corvettes would help protect the country's interests in the Black and Azov seas "but also, in particular, in the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean."
The presidency statement did not elaborate.
International law forbids the passage of warships through Türkiye's busy Bosporus Strait, which links the Mediterranean and Black seas, during times of war.
However, the presidency's statement didn't say where exactly the Turkish shipyard was located, meaning it could be on the northern side of the strait, with a direct route to Ukraine.
Ukraine ordered the two Turkish corvettes under an agreement signed in 2020, the presidency said.
Ukrainian authorities last month adopted a Maritime Security Strategy that aims to rebuild its naval capability.
It is also getting help with that from Western partners. The maritime capability coalition, headed by the United Kingdom and Norway, was established last December.
