New sanctions against Russia over the Kerch Strait incident are not being discussed, but they cannot be ruled out, Norbert Roettgen, the chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the German parliament, said Tuesday.
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 27th November, 2018) New sanctions against Russia over the Kerch Strait incident are not being discussed, but they cannot be ruled out, Norbert Roettgen, the chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the German parliament, said Tuesday.Tensions between Russia and Ukraine flared up on Sunday, after Ukraine's Berdyansk and Nikopol gunboats and the Yany Kapu tug crossed the Russian maritime border. According to Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB), the vessels sailed toward the Kerch Strait, an entrance to the Sea of Azov, and were seized by Russia after failing to respond to a lawful demand to stop.
"This [further sanctions] has not been discussed yet. But, generally, I would not take it off the table. This is not being discussed at the moment. There must be full clarity on the circumstances in full detail. But my opinion is that such behavior that influences another state or violates the sovereignty of another state cannot be without consequences, and I also think that we cannot introduce sanctions once and then have no further sanctions. In my opinion, the topic should not be off the table, rather, it is one of our few instruments," the lawmaker told Deutschandfunk broadcaster.
Roettgen, a member of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), one of the parties in Germany's ruling coalition, added that all options to solve the issue should be considered, barring a military one.
The lawmaker added that German Chancellor Angela Merkel was right to have spoken to the both sides in the incident.
In response to the situation in the Kerch Strait, the Ukrainian authorities decided on Monday to introduce martial law in selected regions of Ukraine along the border with Russia as well as along the coast of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov for 30 days.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Monday that the incident had been "a very dangerous provocation," requiring a serious investigation.
