The Royal Navy aircraft carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth, is being towed by tugs when it arrives at Portsmouth Naval Base, UK 16 August 2017. REUTERS / Peter Nicholls /
British warships will sail to the Black Sea in May amid growing tensions between Ukraine and Russia, the Sunday Times reported, citing high-ranking naval sources.
The development aims to demonstrate solidarity with NATO allies in Ukraine and the United Kingdom, the newspaper reported.
A type 45 destroyer armed with anti-aircraft missiles and a type 23 submarine frigate will leave the task force of the Royal Navy carrier in the Mediterranean Sea and go through the Bosphorus in the Black Sea, according to the report.
The RAF F-35B stealth planes and Merlin submarine fighter jets will be ready on the flagship of the task force, carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth, to support warships in the Black Sea, the report added.
Tensions between Moscow and Kiev have risen amid an accumulation of Russian troops along the border and clashes in eastern Ukraine between the army and pro-Russian separatists. Read more
UK Department of Defense officials were not immediately available for comment.
A ministry spokesman told the newspaper that the British government was working closely with Ukraine to monitor the situation and continued to urge Russia to step down.
“Britain and our international allies are steadfast in our support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the newspaper was quoted as saying by the spokesman.
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