Ukraine allies provide ships to ward off Russia in the Black Sea

PARIS — The U.K. and Norway will lead a coalition aimed at helping Ukraine secure its maritime export routes against Russian interference, the British Defence Ministry said Dec. 11.

The long-term goal is to help Ukraine transform its Navy to become more compatible with Western allies and to bolster security in the Black Sea , the ministry said. The U.K. is transferring two minehunter ships to Ukraine as a first step.

“The rebuilding of the Ukrainian Navy has begun,” British Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said in a post on X , formerly known as Twitter. “The UK will bring together our allies in a new coalition to give Ukraine the power to rule the waves.”

The United Nations says commodity shipments in the Black Sea continue to face “ significant risks ” from airstrikes and sea mines, and several cargo and grain ships reportedly hit mines in the area in recent months. Russia’s Black Sea blockade has “significantly” reduced Ukraine’s ability to move exports by sea, and bolstering the country’s ability to counter the threat of sea mines will help restore maritime trade, according to the U.K.

“Together, we will strengthen the Ukrainian navy, safeguard maritime transportation routes, and secure freedom of navigation,” Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a post on X . “Building on Ukraine’s 2023 victory in the battle for the Black Sea, we will keep Russian terror away from the region and ensure that Ukrainian food exports keep contributing to global food security.”

Britain is transferring two Royal Navy Sandown-class mine countermeasures vessels to Ukraine, the ministry said. The 52.5-meter (172-foot), 600-ton vessels are built almost entirely from nonmagnetic materials to avoid setting off the sensitive weapons. The Royal Navy still has three of the vessels in active service.

The Dutch government in March promised Ukraine two minehunter ships of the Alkmaar class, to be transferred once the Royal Netherlands Navy receives replacement vessels, expected in 2025.

Access to the Black Sea is regulated by the Montreux Convention of 1936 , and Turkey can refuse entry to warships of belligerent countries.

“Turkey controls warship access to the Black Sea and so it will be on the U.K. and others to negotiate directly with them,” Ed Arnold, a defense analyst covering European security at the London-based Royal United Services Institute, wrote in an email. “Prior to their deployment it’s likely that training and familiarization will happen outside of the Black Sea, so there is time.”

The ships are already in Ukrainian service, and the fact that they’re outside the Black Sea means they will be able to train alongside NATO allies, the British Defence Ministry told Defense News.

Beyond the development of a maritime force, the new coalition led by the U.K. and Norway will work with Ukraine’s Navy and Defence Ministry to develop capabilities, including a Marine Corps and river-patrol craft to defend coastal and inland waterways.

Rudy Ruitenberg is a Europe correspondent for Defense News. He started his career at Bloomberg News and has experience reporting on technology, commodity markets and politics.

巴黎——英国国防部12月11日表示，英国和挪威将领导一个旨在帮助乌克兰确保其海上出口航线免受俄罗斯干预的联盟。

英国国防部表示，长期目标是帮助乌克兰改造其海军，使其更符合西方盟友的要求，并加强黑海安全。作为第一步，英国将向乌克兰移交两艘扫雷舰。

英国国防大臣格兰特·沙普斯在X（前身为推特）上发帖称：“乌克兰海军的重建工作已经开始。英国将联合盟友组建新的联盟，赋予乌克兰制海权。”

联合国表示，黑海的商品运输仍然面临空袭和水雷带来的“重大风险”，据报道，近几个月来，多艘货船和运粮船在该地区触雷。英国方面表示，俄罗斯对黑海的封锁“显著”削弱了乌克兰的海上出口能力，增强乌克兰应对水雷威胁的能力将有助于恢复海上贸易。

乌克兰总统泽连斯基在X网站上发帖称：“我们将携手加强乌克兰海军，保障海上运输航线，维护航行自由。我们将以乌克兰在2023年黑海之战中取得的胜利为基础，阻止俄罗斯恐怖主义进入该地区，并确保乌克兰粮食出口继续为全球粮食安全做出贡献。”

英国国防部宣布，将向乌克兰移交两艘皇家海军桑当级扫雷舰。这两艘舰艇长52.5米（172英尺），排水量600吨，几乎完全采用非磁性材料建造，以避免触发敏感的扫雷武器。目前，英国皇家海军仍有三艘同级舰艇在役。

荷兰政府在 3 月份承诺向乌克兰提供两艘阿尔克马尔级扫雷舰，待荷兰皇家海军接收替换舰艇后（预计在 2025 年），将移交给乌克兰。

黑海的通行受 1936 年《蒙特勒公约》的约束，土耳其可以拒绝交战国的军舰进入黑海。

“土耳其控制着军舰进入黑海的通道，因此英国和其他国家将不得不直接与土耳其进行谈判，”总部位于伦敦的皇家联合军种研究所负责欧洲安全的国防分析师埃德·阿诺德在一封电子邮件中写道。“在部署之前，这些军舰很可能会在黑海以外的地方进行训练和熟悉情况，所以还有时间。”

英国国防部告诉《防务新闻》，这些舰艇已经在乌克兰服役，而且由于它们位于黑海以外，这意味着它们将能够与北约盟国一起进行训练。

除了发展海上力量外，由英国和挪威领导的新联盟还将与乌克兰海军和国防部合作，发展包括海军陆战队和内河巡逻艇在内的各项能力，以保卫沿海和内河水道。

鲁迪·鲁伊滕贝格是《防务新闻》的欧洲记者。他的职业生涯始于彭博新闻社，拥有报道科技、大宗商品市场和政治方面的经验。