Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that five Ukrainian mine countermeasures vessels currently based in the United Kingdom will be used to help clear Ukrainian waters of mines after the war ends.
In a post on Facebook, Zelensky said he had visited the Portsmouth Naval Base in the UK, according to Ukrinform.
"During a visit to Portsmouth Naval Base, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Andy Burnham and I went aboard the mine countermeasures vessel Cherkasy. Ukraine received this ship from the United Kingdom in January 2023. In total, five Ukrainian mine countermeasures vessels are based at Portsmouth Naval Base: Melitopol, Mariupol, Henichesk, Cherkasy, and Chernihiv," Zelensky said.
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He stressed that the ships would remain based in Portsmouth until the end of the war and would subsequently be able to carry out mine-clearance operations in Ukrainian waters.
