KIEV, March 1 - Ukraine’s navy is looking into the possibility of purchasing decommissioned NATO ships in order to add to its fleet, Newsweek reported.

Speaking with Channel 5 television, the navy’s commander, Ihor Voronchenko, said that to satisfy Ukraine’s role in occupying a significant portion of the Black Sea coastline, it should be better equipped to police these waters.

“Ukraine is a transit state and we are obliged as naval forces to ensure the peaceful sailing of all vessels in the Black Sea,” he said. “We cannot fulfill the full spectrum of this work with only one minesweeper, Henichesk, that we obtained.”