Royal Navy warships should police a deal allowing grain exports from Black Sea ports, a Ukrainian MP said today.
Odessa MP Alex Goncharenko - described as a key ally of President Volodymyr Zelensky - wanted British frigates and destroyers to help provide safe passage for vessels bringing crops out of the war-torn nation.
Speaking to reporters on the margins of the NATO Summit in Madrid, he called for “some kind of political deal” between the West, Turkey and Russia to allow freight ships to access Black Sea ports and release crops.
“For example, today Russia is exporting millions of barrels of oil everyday through the Bosphorus - it can be said to them for humanitarian reasons, ‘Either your oil and Ukrainian grain is coming or nothing is coming,” he said.
“That would be absolutely just and clear and it can be done without any military operations, no risk of military attacks.”
He believed oil should be used as “leverage” to force the Kremlin to “open the Black Sea”.
He said he would back a pact as long as it did not include easing sanctions on Moscow.
Mr Goncharenko believed the Royal Navy could be brought in to monitor shipments.
“It can be members of the Security Council of the United Nations, it can be the United Kingdom because the United Kingdom is a member of the Security Council and a great navy country with a great history, and also today,” he insisted.
“The United Kingdom can play a major role here.
“The UK Government tries to be active here, I hope very much that it will be resolved.”
Key shipping routes in the Black Sea have been mined, making it difficult for vessels to sail in and out of Ukrainian ports.
The blockade has hampered exports of Ukrainian goods, including grain and barley.
Boris Johnson previously said he will not send warships into the Black Sea due to the Montreux Convention - which regulates maritime traffic through the Black Sea.
But the Prime Minister said on Saturday there must be a “Plan B” to get grain out of the Russian-blockaded Black Sea port of Odessa.
He said this would involve “empowering the Ukrainians to control the sea lanes from the shore with various bits of kit”, including “remote de-mining” and insuring commercial vessels in contested waters, an issue where Britain could provide help.
The PM has also not ruled out putting British troops in harm’s way.
“So those are the two things and we are obviously talking to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Turks and others about how to do it,” he said.
“At some stage the world is going to have to move from Plan A which is the UN plan with Russian help which I think is probably going to be a non-starter, to a plan B."
