The Royal Navy’s aircraft carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth, is being towed by tugboats upon arrival at Portsmouth Naval Base, UK on August 16, 2017. REUTERS / Peter Nicholls /
British warships will sail to the Black Sea in May amid mounting tensions between Ukraine and Russia, the Sunday Times reported, citing senior naval sources.
The stakes are intended to show solidarity with Ukraine and Britain’s NATO allies, the newspaper reported.
According to the report, a Type 45 destroyer armed with anti-aircraft missiles and an anti-submarine Type 23 frigate will leave the Royal Navy’s carrier task force in the Mediterranean and move through the Bosphorus into the Black Sea.
RAF F-35B Lightning stealth jets and Merlin submarine-hunting helicopters are ready on the task force’s flagship aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth to support warships in the Black Sea, the report said.
Tensions between Moscow and Kiev have risen due to an increase in Russian troops along the border and clashes in Eastern Ukraine between the army and pro-Russian separatists. read more
Officials from the UK Ministry of Defense were not immediately available for comment.
A ministry spokesman told the paper that the British government was working closely with Ukraine to monitor the situation and continued to call on Russia to de-escalate.
“The UK and our international allies are unwavering in our support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the paper said.
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