Moscow has warned against putting together an international naval coalition to make sure ships with grain leave Ukrainian ports amid a claimed Russian blockade in the Black Sea.
Ships with grain have been unable to depart from Ukraine amid the conflict between Moscow and Kiev. The Ukrainian authorities and the West have been blaming Russia for blocking their passage, while Moscow has insisted that the logistical problems have been created by naval mines placed by Ukraine.
The arrival of a foreign naval coalition “would seriously escalate the situation in the Black Sea,” Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko said on Wednesday.
The idea that “willing” countries should provide its warships and planes to “ensure that the grain supplies can leave [the Ukrainian port city of] Odessa safely and reach the Bosphorus without Russian interference” was proposed by Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis during his visit to Great Britain on Tuesday.