London: Norway and the UK announce a maritime alliance to provide Ukraine with long-term support in building a coastal and naval defence.
The Norwegian Defence Minister met his British counterpart on 11 December 2023 to jointly present the Maritime Capability Coalition (MCC). The aim is to enable Ukraine to exercise better control over its coast and the neighbouring sea area in the future. Russia should then no longer be able to use the Black Sea as a base for missile attacks on the Ukrainian mainland.
HMS Pembroke, British minesweeper of the Sandown class. Photo: Crown Copyright
Open sea routes and free trade are important, not only for the Ukrainian economy, but also for exporting grain to the world. The United Kingdom and Norway are leading this alliance, which is open to other countries. This is a long-term project and the support will require a lot of work over many years, said the Norwegian Minister of Defence.
As part of the MCC, the UK plans to transfer two minehunting boats, amphibious armoured vehicles and smaller speedboats to Ukraine for landing small units of troops or as a firing platform for heavy machine guns. Norway is providing support with maritime expertise, new technological solutions and innovative approaches.
Only the delivery of the minehunters is currently not possible. Ships that are not based in the Black Sea are currently not authorised by Turkey to pass through the Bosporus. According to the Turkish authorities, this step is intended to prevent the Black Sea from becoming a theatre of war.
Sources: Euractiv, Defence Aerospace
English 
German
0 Kommentare