Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko had a phone conversation on Monday with his Polish counterpart Andrzej Duda to discuss the Kerch Strait incident, the press service of the Ukrainian presidential office said, adding that the two leaders urged the European Union to toughen sanctions against Russia and address the issue at the European Council.
KIEV (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 26th November, 2018) Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko had a phone conversation on Monday with his Polish counterpart Andrzej Duda to discuss the Kerch Strait incident, the press service of the Ukrainian presidential office said, adding that the two leaders urged the European Union to toughen sanctions against Russia and address the issue at the European Council.On Sunday, the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) said that three Ukrainian naval ships had illegally crossed the Russian sea border, heading from the Black Sea toward the Kerch Strait, defied lawful demands of the Russian vessels that they stop, carried out dangerous maneuvers and had been subsequently detained. Following the incident, Poroshenko signed on Monday a decree to put into effect the decision the Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) to impose martial law in the country.
"President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko had a phone conversation with President of Poland Andrzej Duda ... The President of Poland expressed support for Ukraine and its actions. The interlocutors coordinated further steps concerning the Russian threat. Poroshenko and Duda also called on the EU to step up sanctions against Russia and bring this matter to the European Council," the press service said in a statement.
The bloc's sanctions were introduced in 2014 in retaliation for what Western nations call the annexation of Crimea and Moscow's alleged involvement in the conflict in the east of Ukraine. The EU restrictions, targeting individuals, companies and whole sectors of the Russian economy, have been since repeatedly prolonged by six months.
Moscow has repeatedly said that Crimean residents voluntarily chose to rejoin Russia and that the vote was held in compliance with international law. Russian authorities also stressed that Russia had not been involved in the conflict in Donbas.
