UK government has 'no plans' to send Royal Navy warships to protect Ukrainian freighters transporting food

The comment comes amid reports of a discussion between Lithuanian foreign minister Gabrielius Landsbergis British foreign secretary Liz Truss over creating a ‘protective corridor’ from the Ukrainian port city of Odesa.

The Times claimed that Britain is co-ordinating a plan with fellow Nato allies to send warships to the Black Sea port to provide a protective escort to Ukrainian food freighters.

Russian president Vladimir Putin has ordered his forces to create a naval blockade in the Black Sea which is preventing food from being delivered from Ukraine to countries in need.

Speaking to The News today, a government spokeswoman said: ‘Putin’s despicable blockade of Odesa is preventing food getting to people who need it. We will continue to work intensively with international partners to find ways to resume the export of grain from Ukraine.

‘However, there are no current plans to deploy UK warships to the Black Sea.’

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Mr Landsbergis said 'coalition of the willing', made up of Nato countries and other nations reliant on the grain such as Egypt, may be willing to commit military resources to bolster the protection and avert widespread food shortages.

The proposal would see allied navies clear the area around the southern port of Russian mines before protecting freight ships carrying the vital produce from Putin's warships according to The Times.

It is also proposed that long-range missiles could be deployed to deter Russian attempts to sabotage the corridor.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has hastened an impending global food crisis, with huge quantities of grain and other essential commodities sat in storage as war rages on.

Ukraine and Russia together export a third of the world's wheat and barley and half of its sunflower oil, while Russia is a top supplier of fertiliser that has surged in price.

On Monday the Royal Navy deployed its newest aircraft carrier, HMS Prince of Wales, for a short stint at sea.

The 65,000-tonne behemoth is expected to head to the Mediterranean to continue with her role as a Nato flagship.