Ukraine is prepared to deploy four minehunters that are currently docked in the UK to support the British and French-led mission to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
According to a report by The Times, Ukrainian naval officers will attend a multinational military planning summit on Wednesday at Permanent Joint Headquarters (PJHQ) in Northwood, northwest London. The meeting will likely be attended by more than 30 nations.
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During the meeting, Kyiv will inform that they are “ready” to send any of the ships, two of these were bought from Britain to de-mine the Black Sea when the war ends, the UK media outlet quoted a Ukrainian military source.
“We are ready to offer everything. There are four minehunters, all in Portsmouth.
They can’t go to Ukraine because first of all they would be target number one, and secondly because of the Montreux convention,” the source said while referring to a 1936 agreement that restricts passage of military vessels through the Bosporus Strait.
Meanwhile, the US has expressed confidence that talks aimed at ending hostilities could proceed despite lingering uncertainty as the ceasefire period nears its end.
A senior Iranian official was also quoted as saying that Tehran was “positively reviewing” whether to participate in the negotiations, even after previously ruling out joining the process.
Washington is seeking an agreement that would prevent further volatility in oil prices and financial markets.
Trump has maintained that any deal must ensure Iran does not acquire the means to develop a nuclear weapon.
Senior negotiator Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf also accused Trump of attempting to increase pressure through ablockade of Iran’s ports, saying he was seeking to “turn the negotiating table into a table of submission”.
He added that Iran rejects negotiations conducted under threat.
The conflict, which began on February 28, has resulted in thousands of casualties following US-Israeli strikes on Iran and an Israeli ground offensive in Lebanon.
The United States has maintained its blockade of Iranian ports, while Iran has repeatedly imposed and lifted restrictions on the Strait of Hormuz, a key global energy route that typically handles roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas supply.
