There is a way to unblock Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea for food exports. In the second half of the 1980s, Iran waged the so-called Tanker War against Iraq in an attempt to block the important Strait of Hormuz.. Former Commander-in-Chief of Allied Forces Europe James Stavridis recalls that at that time he served on board a destroyer. His team received a special task in the Persian Gulf.

The world needed to keep the flow of oil. So a rather dramatic decision was made: to escort US-flagged oil tankers when entering and leaving this water area.. Stavridis writes about this in an article for the Washington Post..

The operation was called " It was mostly successful and lasted from the summer of 1987 until the fall of 1988.. Stavridis explains that he used the word “mainly” because it was during this period that a tragedy occurred - an Iranian passenger airliner was shot down. 290 people on board died. Operation Ernest Villa helped keep the flow of oil to international markets and deprived the Iranian side of leverage.

“My destroyer Valley Forge successfully completed the mission. And the mission played an important role for global geopolitics and energy supply.. At a time when the world is facing food shortages due to the illegal Russian blockade of Ukraine, the US and allies should consider a similar response,” Stavridis said..

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Ukraine provides a significant part of the world's exports of wheat, sunflower oil and other critical agricultural products. Russia's actions not only violate international law, they could provoke famine in the Middle East and North Africa. And these regions are already unstable.

Vladimir Putin controls the northern part of the Black Sea because his fleet of more than two dozen warships remains one of the most powerful in the region.. About 25 thousand marines, 40 ships and 7 submarines are in the service of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation. These forces remain very powerful even after Ukrainian missiles destroyed the Moskva flagship cruiser.. Despite the fact that NATO countries such as Turkey, Romania and Bulgaria have significant forces in the Black Sea, Ukraine has virtually no fleet left that could break through the Russian blockade.. Russian forces have lined up along the coast to stifle the Ukrainian economy by preventing argar products from reaching their destination markets..

Moscow's strategy is reminiscent of the one that Union troops used against the agrarian South during the American Civil War. Stavridis is convinced that Putin is using a recipe from the Lincoln era. And it has a tangible effect.. Now Moscow is offering talks where it is ready to unlock grain exports in exchange for lifting Western sanctions.. The United States and allies will not agree to such proposals.

This, according to Stavridis, leads to the idea of \u200b\u200bbreaking through the blockade by escorting merchant ships. The first and most obvious question is who will provide this escort.? The operation can be carried out under the auspices of the UN by NATO or a coalition of countries ready to carry out a potentially provocative and dangerous mission.. According to the former NATO Commander-in-Chief in Europe, this is likely to be done by the United States with the potential support of Britain and France, as well as Black Sea countries such as Turkey, Romania and Bulgaria.. The second call will be to clear the avatar from mines. Because both the Ukrainian and Russian military use them to control the sea off the Ukrainian coast.. To do this, NATO has a significant fleet of minesweepers.

It will also require cooperation with international trade organizations involved in the transportation, as well as the sale of grain and other products.. Among them is the International Maritime Organization based in London. The organization is part of the UN structure and played a similar role in organizing an international response to piracy off the coast of Africa.. Also, some merchant ships will have to be transferred under the flags of those countries that will participate in deals to unblock the Black Sea..

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Stavridis notes that it will be necessary to notify Russia of plans.

Care should be taken that Moscow clearly understands that the coalition will not tolerate any intervention, but at the same time does not want to engage in combat with the Russian Black Sea Fleet. Moscow is likely to resent and make noise, but it is unlikely to dare attack NATO ships in international waters. But if Russia does something stupid, it will face a proportional use of force..

Stavridis notes Democratic allies should consider Ernest Will-style approach. It is no longer possible to simply allow Putin to do whatever he pleases at sea..