Contents tagged with Kerch Strait

  • Ukrainian Parliament supports termination of Friendship treaty with Russia

    The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine voted for the termination of the Friendship Treaty with Russia. The draft law that was submitted to Parliament by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko was supported by 277 deputies while 20 opposed. The treaty will be terminated on April 1, 2019, not immediately, according to the terms set for unilateral withdrawal from the treaty.

    Poroshenko stressed earlier that the matter was not about the termination of the agreement but that Kyiv refuses to extend it. …

  • 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 …

  • 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,” …

  • Ukraine calls on Macedonia to impose sanctions against Russia

    Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration called on Macedonia to impose sanctions against Russia, during her meeting with Prime Minister of Macedonia Zoran Zaev as part of her working visit to Croatia, reported the Ukrainian Cabinet of Ministers’ press service.

    "Russia has not shown any progress in the implementation of the PACE resolutions regarding Russian military aggression against Ukraine. Its recent provocations in the Azov Sea, fake …

  • 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 …

  • Ukrainian Prosecutor General proposes to seize Russian assets

    Interfax Ukraine reports that the Prosecutor General of Ukraine Yuriy Lutsenko intends to send letters to the President of Ukraine and National Security and Defense Council with a proposal to introduce sanctions against certain legal entities and individuals of the Russian Federation for armed aggression against the Ukrainian Navy and Armed Forces.

    “Today I will send (I am a member of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC)) a letter to the president and secretary of the NSDC with a …