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.

"Ukraine is a maritime state, and we are constantly working to strengthen our capabilities in this area. I thank the United Kingdom and all our partners who are helping us with this," Zelensky said.

Photo: Volodymyr Zelensky / Facebook