There is, however, another aspect to this war which has received insufficient attention, though it is now slowly coming into focus and where pressure could build for a NATO operation. This is the need to relieve the blockade Russia has successfully inflicted on Ukraine’s southern ports in the Black Sea. This is urgent not only because of the effect on Ukraine’s battered economy but also on supplies of essential agricultural products to the rest of the world.
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Need a multi-national mine sweeping and escort force to get shipping safely in and out.
Difficult part is determining under whose auspices it would operate. NATO has had standing naval forces in operation since January 1968, and I was fortunate to do two six-month deployments with SNFL in 1977 and 1986.
Turkey could be a problem
They may be difficult
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Looks like the U.S. is planning along these lines
As I understand it, breaking the sea blockade would involve using warships to protect commercial shipping convoy style to Odessa. Docking in Germany and driving the vehicles to Poland is not breaking the sea blockade but avoiding it. This is how the military shipments have been delivered to Poland since the beginning of Russia’s “special operations”’. I don’t see it as a change in MSP’s mission.
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Not happening unless the conflict widens, in which case it would probably be a moot point. As it stands Turkey has closed the Bosphorous to warships of any nation and the big NATO players removed their equipment. Regardless of what the conventional wisdom says about the Russian Military, NATO still considers it a threat.