Cdre Banfield, who is the co-leader of the maritime capability coalition for Ukraine, added that there has been significant mining by both Russia and Ukraine during the conflict between the two countries.
He said giving Ukrainian forces the capabilities to use the Mine Counter Measure vessels, which the Royal Navy use, will allow Ukrainian forces to clear the seas in a post-war world and help to “keep ships safe at sea”.
He added that it is particularly vital to keep shipping lanes open as Ukraine is a significant global supplier of agricultural goods.
Reflecting on the day of exercises, Cdre Banfield said: “So this is to hone the individual skills of the operators, to hone the skills of the battle staffs, to plan mine counter-measure operations but most importantly is for the navies of the world to be able to operate together so that when we do this for real in a combat situation, we have done this before.”
He admitted that there is also much that the Nato forces can learn from Ukraine.