Turkey to Block U.K. Minesweepers on Loan to Ukraine from Black Sea

Turkey will not let minesweepers loaned to Ukraine by the United Kingdom into the Black Sea, the Turkish president’s directorate of communications said this week. The United Kingdom announced in December that it would loan two minehunters to Ukraine to help Ukraine protect shipping lanes in the Black Sea that have come under attack from Russian forces. In particular, sea mines have been a concern in the Black Sea since the beginning of the war. Both Ukraine and Russia have deployed mines in the region. However, Turkey is restricting any warships belonging to non-Black Sea nations from entering the Black