British Prime Minister Boris Johnson wants to help Ukraine clear the country’s southern coast. In addition, he wants to think about offering insurance to ships that transport grain from the country across the Black Sea for export.
Since the Russian invasion, Ukraine’s southern ports on the Black Sea have been blocked. Virtually no grain can leave the country. As a result, 20 million tons (20 billion kilograms) of grain are now stored in Ukrainian silos and food prices are being pushed up worldwide.
Turkey is trying to mediate between Russia and Ukraine with the help of the United Nations. They are trying to make export from the ports on the Black Sea possible again. Moscow is stopping that and wants a number of Western sanctions against the country to be lifted first.
From Rwanda, where he is attending a meeting of Commonwealth leaders, Johnson told news agency Reuters that the British are involved in the negotiations. “What we can mainly offer is knowledge in the field of maritime insurance and a lot of expertise in transporting goods through areas at sea that are, let’s say, controversial.”
The British can also help in the field of mine clearance, says the prime minister. “We are talking to the Ukrainians on a technical level about demining Odesa,” Johnson said. Odesa is the largest Ukrainian city on the Black Sea.