President: Ukrainian military personnel sent to London for conference on reopening Strait of Hormuz

President Volodymyr Zelensky made this announcement while answering questions from journalists, according to a Ukrinform correspondent.

Zelensky noted that two conferences on reopening the Strait of Hormuz had been organized. The first was at the leadership level, in which he also participated: “The United Kingdom, together with France, led the conference; Ukraine was invited, and I joined online from the train. We discussed the issue of the blockage of the Strait of Hormuz and the challenges related to the war in the Middle East.”

The second conference, according to the President, was at the military level. “Regarding the Strait of Hormuz, the United Kingdom and France requested a continuation of the relevant conference they organized a couple of days ago, [now] at the military level, where we can assist. I believe 37 countries participated in the first conference, but I don’t know how many military representatives are participating in the second one. The UK and France requested it, so we sent our military representatives to this meeting in London,” the head of state said.

He emphasized that from the Ukrainian side, the focus is specifically on experience and expertise. “We’re talking about expertise—that’s the minimum Ukraine can offer. Why? Because we faced serious challenges in the Black Sea and cleared a corridor there. We have this experience, this expertise, and we’ll share it. What are the next steps? I can’t say yet,” Zelensky noted.

He also recalled that Ukraine had sent teams with expertise in defending against “suicide drones” to countries in the Middle East. “After that, we signed relevant documents regarding the Drone Deal with several countries, and we are currently negotiating with others; I am confident that agreements will also be reached in the near future. All of this represents a great opportunity for Ukraine, for our defense industry, and for our MilTech,” the President stated.

As reported by Ukrinform, the UN’s International Maritime Organization (IMO) is developing a plan to evacuate hundreds of ships stranded in the Persian Gulf due to the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz following the start of the U.S. and Israeli war against Iran.

Military strategists from more than 30 countries are gathering in the British capital, London, on Wednesday, April 22, and Thursday to develop a mission aimed at restoring shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.