US President Donald Trump should increase security assistance to Ukraine, including lethal maritime equipment and weapons, before meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G20 later this week, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Member Bob Menendez said in a statement on Monday.
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 26th November, 2018) US President Donald Trump should increase security assistance to Ukraine, including lethal maritime equipment and weapons, before meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G20 later this week, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Member Bob Menendez said in a statement on Monday."The Trump Administration must immediately increase security assistance to Ukraine, including the provision of lethal maritime equipment and weapons," Menendez said. "I urge President Trump to commit to these measures prior to his reportedly scheduled meeting with Vladimir Putin later this week at the G20."
Menendez also said the United States should help Ukraine improve its maritime domain awareness and urge NATO to increase exercises and its presence in the Black Sea.
The US Congress should also pass the "Defending American Security from Kremlin Aggression Act" in the coming weeks to show Moscow that its military "aggression" and "political interference" abroad do not go unchecked, Menendez added.
Menendez issued the statement in response to Sunday's incident in the Kerch Strait.
The FSB said in a statement on Sunday that it intercepted three Ukrainian ships after they illegally crossed into Russian waters while moving from the Black Sea into the Azov Sea. It added that the vessels failed to respond to warnings and instead made dangerous maneuvers, prompting the FSB to detain the ships.
On Monday, the Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council imposed martial law in Ukraine for a period of 30 days, and the chief of the Ukrainian General Staff ordered the country's armed forces to be on full combat alert.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said it handed a protest note to Ukraine's Charge d'Affaires Ruslan Nimchinsky on Monday over Sunday's.
