The United States has warned Russia that its seizure of Ukrainian ships in the Sea of Azov was an “outrageous violation” of Ukraine’s sovereign territory, as the Ukrainian President announces plans to impose martial law for 30 days.
The comments were made on Monday by Nikki Haley, US ambassador to the United Nations, during a UN Security Council session.
Urging the international community to condemn Russia’s “arrogant” act, Halley said “outlaw actions” such as the seizure of the vessels are preventing normal relations from developing between Washington and Moscow.
The US, Haley said, “would welcome a normal relationship with Russia. But outlaw actions like this one continue to make that impossible”.
Russia on Sunday seized Ukraine‘s two small armoured artillery vessels and a tug boat, which Moscow said had illegally entered Russian territorial waters.
Dmitry Polyansky, the Russian Deputy Representative to the UN, accused Ukraine of concocting a Russian threat in the Sea of Azov with Western support.
“Our country has never struck the first blow, but it can stand up for itself,” he said, adding: “The population of the Crimea, as well as other regions of Russia, is under reliable protection.”
Referring to Sunday’s incident, Polyansky said Ukraine had planned the “provocation” in advance with the coordination of western states, which he said had given the Ukrainian government “carte blanche”.
Kiev has said its vessels did nothing wrong and has accused Russia of military aggression.
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Haley’s comments came shortly after NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg called on Russia to release the Ukrainian ships and sailors, saying there was no justification for Moscow’s actions.
“What we saw yesterday was very serious,” Stoltenberg told a news conference after an emergency meeting of the western military alliance held on Ukraine’s request .
“There is no justification for the use of military force against Ukrainian ships and naval personnel so we call on Russia to release immediately the Ukrainian sailors and ships it seized yesterday.”
Martial law
Earlier, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko signed a decree imposing martial law in response to the the naval standoff with Russia.
Poroshenko ordered for an emergency session of Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine’s lower house of parliament, to take place later on Monday during which legislators will vote on the decree.
If approved, as expected, the law will be imposed for 30 days from Wednesday onwards.
Addressing fears of heightened tensions between Kiev and Moscow, the 53-year-old also said on Monday that the step did not mean a declaration of war against Russia.
“Ukraine is not planning a war against anyone,” he told the National Security and Defence Council.
Poroshenko also said Ukraine would stick to the Minsk Agreements, peace deals his government inked with Russia and pro-Russian separatists in southeastern Ukraine that were designed to stop a war that claimed more than 10,000 lives since 2014.
The conflict began after pro-West protesters overthrew pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych in February 2014, after months of violent protests in the capital, Kiev.
The separatists claimed the new, fiercely anti-Russian government planned a “genocide” of ethnic Russians in eastern regions, Ukraine’s rust belt and Yanukovych’s support base.
Additional reporting by Mansur Mirovalev.
SOURCE:
Al Jazeera and news agencies
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