A Sandown-class naval ship (Photo: Yahoo News).
Britain will provide Ukraine with two mine-clearing vessels as part of a new maritime alliance, which includes Norway and is aimed at making Kiev's navy "more interoperable with NATO", the Ministry of Defence has announced.
Britain has been one of the biggest aid donors to Ukraine since Kiev's conflict with Russia escalated in February 2022. Since then, Britain has allocated $5.7 billion to provide weapons and training support to Ukraine.
London will initially transfer two Sandown-class minesweepers (MCMVs) from the Royal Navy fleet. An official announcement is expected to be made by Defence Secretary Grant Shapps later on 11 December.
“These minesweepers will provide vital capabilities to Ukraine, helping to save lives at sea and opening up vital export routes,” Mr Shapps said earlier.
According to the British Ministry of Defense statement, London and Oslo hope to help the Ukrainian Navy "become more compatible with Western allies, with NATO".
Mr Shapps added that the new maritime coalition would introduce a number of additional initiatives to ensure “a long-term military commitment to supporting Ukraine”.
Russia says military assistance from the West will not change the course of the conflict. Moscow has also repeatedly warned that providing weapons to Ukraine would increase the risk of direct confrontation between NATO and Russia.
The Russian Defense Ministry has repeatedly accused Ukraine of laying Soviet-era naval mines along the Black Sea coast, some of which have ended up floating in the open sea.
In a statement in July, Russian military officials warned that Ukrainian explosives had been found along shipping routes in the northwestern Black Sea region.
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