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Minehunters, Washington and the politics of Ukraine aid
Summary
A look back at 12 December 2023 and the reports from the preceding day on British ships, US Republican resistance and Hungarian outreach.
What was shaping Ukraine's support as 12 December 2023 began? Reports from the previous day, 11 December, pointed to a mix of naval aid and political resistance in Washington.
Ships with a logistics problem
The United Kingdom announced on 11 December that it would donate two Royal Navy Sandown-class minehunters to Ukraine. Doubts were raised at once over the logistics and timing of their arrival, because Turkey controls access to the Black Sea through the Bosphorus.
The Sandown class is a group of fifteen minehunters built primarily for the Royal Navy by Vosper Thornycroft. The first was commissioned on 9 June 1989, and the British ships were named after coastal towns and cities. The class has also served with the Saudi, Estonian and Ukrainian navies. Mine countermeasures was its primary role, with offshore patrol as a secondary one.
Resistance in Washington
The political picture was less settled. On 11 December, United States Senator JD Vance said Ukraine should be willing to give up part of its territory to end the war. Vance and other Republicans were opposing the aid package proposed in the United States Congress for Ukraine.
The same day, representatives of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán met Republicans in Washington. The subject of the talks was ending EU and US military support to Ukraine.
A day of contrasts
Taken together, the reports showed support from one ally taking concrete form while the American aid package faced open opposition. Later, in 2025, the Sandown class was reduced to a single vessel in active Royal Navy service.
