Russia: passage of Ukrainian ships through the Kerch Strait can ‘aggravate the situation’
The official representative for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maria Zakharova commented on the statement made by the Secretary of the National Security Council Oleksandr Turchynov that Ukraine is preparing another passage of ships through the Kerch Strait.
According to her, this can “aggravate the situation.” The spokeswoman for the MFA said that Turchynov’s statement is “provocative.”
“It [the statemen]) is absolutely irresponsible, and it is intended to aggravate the situation. Yet again many of Ukraine’s partners are trying, so to speak, to relieve themselves of the tension in this situation, looking for ways to de-escalate. Moreover, against the backdrop of these attempts made by many including EU governments, they make such a statement? They are just trying to provoke; this is the calling card of the current regime in Kyiv,” Zakharova said.
Earlier, in an interview with BBC, Turchynov said that Ukraine had invited international partners to take part in the passage of Navy Ships from the Black Sea to the Azov Sea, through the Kerch Strait.