According to information received from a representative of the British government, it is reported that the government does not intend to use Royal Navy warships to unload grain from the blocked port of Odessa in the Black Sea, as announced by The Guardian. Earlier, the UK Foreign Secretary, Liz Truss, expressed her support for the initiative of the Lithuanian Foreign Minister, Gabrielius Landsbergis, to create a maritime coalition of countries to unblock the port with Ukrainian grain, as reported by Kommersant.
The authorities of the UK have stated: "We continue to actively work with international partners to find ways to resume grain exports from Ukraine. However, there are currently no plans to deploy British warships in the Black Sea," The Guardian reports, citing a representative of the British government.
Germany reports that since the start of hostilities in Ukraine, 25 million tons of grain have been blocked in the port of Odessa. Negotiations are underway for its export between the US (represented by the UN) and the Russian Foreign Ministry. The Russian Foreign Ministry stated that the port could be unblocked after the lifting of anti-Russian export sanctions. The Wall Street Journal reports that the US is willing to temporarily lift sanctions on Belarusian potash fertilizers if Belarus agrees to transit grain through its territory. Restrictions on supplies have also affected Turkey, China, and Egypt.