The Times: UK Royal Navy could escort grain ships through Odessa blockade

WORLD  24 May 2022 - 12:01

Britain is in discussion with allies about sending warships to the Black Sea to protect freighters carrying Ukrainian grain.

A “coalition of the willing” would aim to break Russia’s blockade in weeks by providing a “protective corridor” from Odesa through the Bosphorus, The Times reports.

There are fears that time is running out to avert a world food crisis, and the US also said that it was sending long-range missiles to take out Russian ships.

Gabrielius Landsbergis, the Lithuanian foreign minister, who discussed the corridor with Liz Truss, the foreign secretary, said the coalition could include some Nato countries and other countries reliant on the grain.

It is thought that Egypt, which has been hit hard by the wheat shortage, might be willing to take part.

The operation will include the clearance of harbors and the provision of Ukraine with long-range weapons to protect coastal waters. On May 23, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said that Denmark had agreed to provide anti-ship missiles for Ukraine.

The coalition will have to place ships and planes in the Black Sea, which would guarantee safe passage for ships with grain to the Bosporus. According to one of the Times' interlocutors in diplomatic circles, the British government agrees to provide the necessary ships.

According to Landsbergis, the presence of warships in the Black Sea does not mean an escalation: their purpose will be exclusively humanitarian. But another western official acknowledged that Russia should agree on the operation: "Attempting to do this without Russia's consent would increase the risk of an incident."

Russia's refusal to unblock Ukrainian ports would be a "declaration of war" on global food security, said UN World Food Program Director David Beasley.

The operation will also require the consent of the United States, as well as Turkey, which controls the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles.

Caliber.Az