The US, UK, and the EU have protested Russia’s ban on Ukrainian and foreign navy ships from the southern approach to the Kerch Strait

. With the ban starting Saturday and lasting for six months, shippers worry that the ban will lead to curbs on shipping to Ukraine’s two ports on the Sea of Azov – Berdyansk and Mariupol. NATO Spokesperson Oana Lungescu posted on Twitter: “We call on Russia to ensure free access to Ukrainian ports in the Sea of Azov, and allow freedom of navigation.”