Contents tagged with crimea

  • Volker: Russian ships may be banned access to European ports

    US Special Representative for Ukraine Kurt Volker demands that Russia release the Ukrainian sailors captured in the Kerch Strait at the end of November before Christmas or New Year.

    During an interview with the Voice of America,  Volker explained that the US and its western allies are considering a number of ways to prevent new instances of Russia’s “unilateral control” of the shared waters of the Sea of Azov.

    “We do not accept or agree to the annexation of Crimea claimed by Russia,” he said, …

  • Lithuania intends to impose sanctions against Russia for aggression in the Black Sea and Kerch Strait

    The Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has proposed imposing individual sanctions against those responsible for Russia's aggressive actions in the Kerch Strait and the Black Sea, reports the ministry’s press service.

    "On December 6, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania appealed to the Migration Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania with a proposal to include in the national list of undesirable persons those who directly …

  • Putin explains his refusal to talk with Ukrainian President Poroshenko

    Interfax reports that the President of Russia Vladimir Putin refuses to have telephone conversations with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko because he feels that it could be used for the Ukrainian President’s re-election campaign.

    “It is not that I am just avoiding or don’t want to talk to Petro Oleksiyovych [Poroshenko], that’s not it at all. The issue is that I do not want to take part in his election campaign,” said Putin, responding to journalists’ questions as to why there have been no …

  • Kyiv: Cargo traffic in the ports of Azov Sea decreased by half due to Russia's actions

    The Ukrainian Minister of Infrastructure, Volodymyr Omelyan, stated on his Facebook page that cargo traffic in the ports of Berdyansk and Mariupol has more than halved due to Russia’s actions. According to him, the ports are forced to move to a four-day work week and reduce staff.

    “As we expected, Moscow manually regulates the access to the Ukrainian seaports of the Azov Sea by vessels, based on the ancient principle of the Kremlin: “I want to/I don’t want to”… As a result of such an approach, …

  • Klimkin: Moscow promises to let Ukrainian consuls visit the captured sailors

    Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs Pavlo Klimkin wrote on Twitter  that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia promises to allow Ukrainian consuls to visit the captured Ukrainian sailors on November 25 in the Kerch Strait area.

    “The Russian Foreign Ministry officially reported that the sailors were in Moscow, and promised to let them meet with our consuls, 10 days after the seizure of our ships. We are doing everything to ensure that the consuls get to the guys as quickly as possible,” …

  • Ukrainian Foreign Minister: NATO intends to increase its presence in the Black Sea

    NATO countries will soon take steps in response to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine in the Kerch Strait. One of the elements of the response is strengthening the presence of the Alliance in the Black Sea, stated Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin.

    "NATO should strengthen its presence in the Black Sea region. How they do it is the issue of further negotiations and you will hear about some of them soon. The important thing is the presence of the NATO ships. This will be done very …

  • Kerch Strait crisis: 34 member countries of International Maritime Organization support Ukraine

    Ukraine protested at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Committee for Maritime Safety because of the armed attack on Ukrainian military boats. The Ukrainian Embassy in the UK reported  that 34 IMO member countries supported Ukraine’s position.

    "The Ukrainian government has condemned numerous instances of discriminatory inspections of vessels traveling to Ukrainian ports, which are a violation of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and bilateral Ukrainian-Russian agreements. …

  • Stoltenberg: NATO increases presence in the Black Sea and is watching Russia

    NATO is closely monitoring the security situation in the Black Sea and increases its military presence in the region, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said at a press conference in Brussels.

    “NATO has increased its military presence in the Black Sea region. With more naval presence. Last year the number of days with NATO ships or ships on the NATO command in the Black Sea increased from 80 to 120 and there are also, of course, NATO Allies which have deployed ships in the Black Sea …

  • Russian border guards who seized Ukrainian ships will receive an award

    A chairman for the Russian State Duma, Vyacheslav Volodin, stated that the Russian Parliament is preparing a proposal to award the border guards who attacked and seized Ukrainian ships in neutral waters near the Kerch Strait on November 25th.

    “For our part, we requested that the committee on security and anti-corruption consider rewarding border guards involved in preventing a violation of our borders and protecting the law,” reports Interfax quoting Volodin. Suggestions must be ready for the …

  • Ukrainian President: we need our allies help to hold back Russia in the Black Sea

    Ukraine needs an increased naval presence of Germany and allies in the Black Sea. It could serve as a deterrent to Russia, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said in an interview with the German Funke Media Group, the president's press service reported.

    “We need a strong, unified, unambiguous reaction to Russia’s aggressive behavior. We must prevent Nord Stream 2. We have to consider imposing new sanctions now,” Poroshenko said.

    The Ukrainian President said that Russia's aggressive actions …