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Two British ships in the Black Sea in May. The rest of the carrier battle group in the Mediterranean

(B2) The UK will deploy two ships to the Black Sea next month. A way to show Ukraine its solidarity... and the Russians the firmness of the Royal Navy

HMS Defender (credit: Royal Navy)

A Type 45 destroyer with anti-aircraft missiles and a Type 23 anti-submarine frigate, in the Black Sea, reveals the Sunday Times. A 'hot' area because located near the Crimea, watched like fire by the Russian naval forces.

These ships will be extracted from the carrier battle group formed around the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth (UK Carrier Group). The two ships could therefore be HMS Defender or HMS Diamond, and HMS Kent or HMS Richmond, according to our information. The aircraft carrier will remain in the Mediterranean. The Montreux Convention of 1936 (its article 18 more precisely) indeed limits the total tonnage of the warships of the powers not bordering on the Black Sea. But the F-35 fighter jets and Merlin helicopters, which are on board, will stand " ready to support these ships in the event of a threat » indicate our British colleagues.

This British announcement comes a few days after Joe Biden canceled the deployment of two American ships in the Black Sea. This would allow the allies to maintain pressure on Russia. This deployment aims to show solidarity with Ukraine and Britain's NATO allies in the region. " The UK and our international allies are steadfast in their support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity,” a spokesperson for the Ministry of Defense told the British daily.

After this deployment in the Black Sea, the UK Carrier Group (see diagram above) will sail towards regions that are just as warm, from all points of view. Its destination is indeed the China Sea. Note that a Dutch ship will be part of the trip (but not the Black Sea escapade) - the HMS Evertsen — as well as an American ship — the USS The Sullivans (DDG 68) which has just departed from its base in Mayport (Florida), on the southeast coast, according to the us navy.

(NGV with Jean-Stanislas Bareth, st.)

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