Recommendation 2

The UK, working with NATO allies and other UN Member states, should insist Russia lifts restrictions on the movement of foreign vessels in the Black Sea, particularly in the Kerch Strait, which is in violation of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and Russia’s agreement with Ukraine on maritime cooperation in the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait. If Russia does not comply with UNCLOS rules, the UK should support Ukraine’s efforts to seek resolution through the dispute mechanism under Part XV of the UNCLOS, either through the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea or to the International Court of Justice or an arbitral tribunal.