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MOSCOW – The latest news on the tensions between Russia and Ukraine (all times local):
6:05 p.m.
Three former Ukrainian presidents have joined forces to oppose the motion to impose martial law in the country following Russia's seizure of three Ukrainian ships and their crews.
The first president of Ukraine from 1991 to 1994, Leonid Kravchuk, read a letter signed by him and two other former leaders, Leonid Kuchma and Viktor Yushchenko, opposing the imposition of martial law.
Earlier, current President Petro Poroshenko signed a bill to impose martial law. The Ukrainian parliament has to decide on the issue later in the day. The debate has not started yet as some opposition lawmakers are calling for amendments.
In their letter, former presidents declared martial law a "threat to democracy" as it will cancel the presidential vote next year.
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5:40 p.m.
Britain accuses Russia of an "act of aggression" by taking over Ukrainian ships and sailors near Crimea under Russian occupation.
Spokesman for Prime Minister Theresa May, James Slack, said the incident was "further evidence of Russia's destabilizing behavior in the region and its constant violation of the territorial integrity of the country." 39; Ukraine. "
"Russia should not be allowed to use force to exert increased pressure on Ukraine". Britain urges all parties to exercise restraint.
The Ukrainian navy has said that six sailors were injured when Russian coast guards fired on three Ukrainian ships near the Kerch Strait – the only outlet for Ukrainian ships to the Black Sea – and then seized them. Ukraine demands the release of ships and crew members.
Russia and Ukraine have been fighting hard since Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014.
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5:35 p.m.
Spain and Germany join European Union demands for Russia to release Ukrainian sailors and ships seized on Sunday during a clash around Crimea, which has sharply exacerbated tensions between the two countries .
Spanish Foreign Minister Josep Borrell said that his country supports the official position of the EU and that both sides should reduce tensions.
"We must stop the escalation and spread of the conflict to levels of intensity that would be dangerous," Borrell said Monday in Madrid, where he welcomed his German counterpart, Heiko Maas , for bilateral talks.
Maas welcomed Russia's decision to dissolve the blockade in the Kerch Strait, but described the developments in the Azov Sea as "disturbing".
"We must end the war that is going on in our neighborhood," Maas told reporters.
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4:40 p.m.
The French Government has stated that Russia's seizure of Ukrainian ships and their crews was not justified and called for their immediate release.
In a statement, the French Foreign Ministry called for restraint on both sides and expressed "extreme concern" at the stalemate around Crimea.
In the statement, France seems to give little credence to Russia's claims that Ukrainian vessels violated the maritime rules.
Russia and Ukraine exchanged blame for the incident, in which Russian coastguard ships fired on Ukrainian navy ships near the Kerch Strait and injured Ukrainian sailors.
The French government said that the stalemate stemmed directly from the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014, which France does not recognize and considers as a violation of international law.
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4:35 p.m.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has signed a bill to impose martial law in the country following the seizure by Russia of three ships and their crews.
The bill must be approved by Parliament to come into force. The Supreme Rada must decide Monday on the issue.
Poroshenko proposed to impose martial law in the country after Russian border guards fired on three Ukrainian army ships in the Azov Sea.
The bill released Monday afternoon by Poroshenko's office provides that martial law will be imposed for two months.
Emergency measures, if adopted by lawmakers, include partial mobilization, strengthening of the country's air defense as well as a plethora of vague measures, such as "strengthening" counter-terrorism measures and "security of information. "
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4:25 p.m.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin said that Ukrainian sailors captured by Russia during Sunday's incident on the Crimean peninsula, annexed by Russia, should be treated as prisoners of war.
Klimkin told the press in Kiev that the government was in talks with the Red Cross to make sure the sailors were treated as prisoners of war.
Six Ukrainians were injured after Russian border guards opened fire on Sunday on three Ukrainian army ships in the Kerch Strait. Ships and crews were captured by the Russians.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov did not say whether the Kremlin regarded them as prisoners of war.
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4:20 p.m.
An aide to Polish President Andrzej Duda said sanctions against Russia should be strengthened after the seizure of Ukrainian navy ships.
Krzysztof Szczerski said that Russia's recent actions against Ukrainian ships constituted a "blatant violation" of international law and a "new attempt to destabilize the region".
Szczerski said that Poland considered that it was necessary to "consider and discuss among allies the intensification of sanctions against Russia".
He added that Duda had phoned Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on the phone to discuss the stalemate in the Black Sea.
The Russian coastguard fired Sunday at three Ukrainian ships near the Straits of Kerch, then seized them with their crews.
International sanctions were imposed in Moscow after Ukraine's annexation of the Crimean peninsula in 2014.
Poland, neighbor and ally of Ukraine, also has Russian borders.
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16h
Ukrainian protesters burned a Russian flag and launched flares on the Russian consulate in Kharkiv, in the east of the country, following the seizure of Ukrainian navy ships.
The Unian news agency reported that the protesters had asked Ukraine to sever diplomatic relations with Russia and to nationalize its activities on Ukrainian soil. They also said that Ukraine should stop complying with an agreement reached in 2003 with Russia on the sharing of the Kerch Strait between the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, which is at the heart of the country. ;dead end.
In the capital Kiev, protesters from the far-right National Corps brandished flares in front of the Ukrainian parliament. They waved yellow and blue flags with the Ukrainian national symbol, the trident and a huge white banner saying "Do not stay behind!"
While Ukraine plans to impose martial law, National Corps protester Rodion Kudryashov said the measure should not last more than 30 days, as it should not disrupt the elections scheduled for March. He also said that this should accompany a "stop of relations" with Russia.
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3:15 p.m.
The Moldovan Foreign Ministry said regional security was threatened by "acts of aggression and provocations" in the naval impasse of Crimea between Ukraine and Russia.
According to a statement, Moldova reaffirmed its support "to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and its right to use international waters", adding that it was " deeply concerned "by the tensions around the Kerch Strait and the sea of Azov. The former Soviet republic, Moldova, shares a border with Ukraine of 1,222 km (764 miles).
The Ukrainian navy has said six of its sailors were injured when Russian coast guards fired on three Ukrainian ships near the Kerch Strait on Sunday before seizing them. Russia said that three Ukrainian sailors had been slightly injured and had received medical assistance.
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15h
The head of the European Union, Donald Tusk, calls on Russia to stop provoking Ukraine and urges the authorities to return all Ukrainian ships or sailors that she holds in the naval stalemate in Crimea.
The President of the European Council said in a tweet on Monday: "I condemn the use of force by Russia in the sea of Azov". He added that "the Russian authorities must return Ukrainian seamen and ships and refrain from further provocation."
He said that he had discussed the situation with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and that he would meet the representatives of the Ukrainian leader later on Monday.
Tusk added: "Europe will remain united to support Ukraine".
The Russian coastguard fired Sunday at three Ukrainian ships near the Straits of Kerch, then seized them with their crews.
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2:40 p.m.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokeswoman calls on Russia to release Ukrainian sailors and ships seized in a naval arm wrestling near Crimea.
Steffen Seibert on Monday called on both parties to open a dialogue quickly to clarify the case and ease tensions. Sunday's incident raises "serious questions, especially with regard to the use of military force by Russian forces for whom, on the basis of the facts we know so far, no justification is apparent".
The Russian coastguard fired Sunday at three Ukrainian ships near the Straits of Kerch and seized them with their crews, which heightened tensions and aroused the concern of the international community.
Seibert said that Germany was "in touch with both sides". Foreign Ministry spokesman Rainer Breul said that a meeting scheduled for Monday in Berlin with the political directors of the German, French, Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministries would allow to discuss the situation. current impasse.
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2:15 p.m.
NATO has announced that its ambassadors and Ukraine's envoy will hold emergency talks in Brussels later on Monday over the naval stalemate between Ukraine and Russia near Crimea.
The military alliance said the meeting had been convened at the request of Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko after meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
According to NATO, Stoltenberg stated that the US-led military alliance "fully supports the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine, including its full rights of navigation in its territorial waters under international law. ".
The Russian coastguard fired Sunday at three Ukrainian ships near the Straits of Kerch, then seized them with their crews.
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1:50 p.m.
Estonian Prime Minister Juri Ratas convened a special meeting of the government's security committee to discuss Russia's action against Ukraine in the Black Sea and neighboring regions.
Ratas says that "what happened in the Kerch Strait is a serious violation of international law," adding that the meeting would take place later on Monday.
After the annexation by Moscow in 2014 of the Crimean peninsula to Ukraine, Estonia – like its Baltic neighbors Latvia and Lithuania – fears that it and other former Soviet republics are the following.
Estonian Foreign Minister Sven Mikser on Monday called the events in Crimea "a deliberate act to escalate tension", while Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite announced on Twitter "another flagrant violation of international law and Russia's own commitments ".
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1:45 p.m.
The Russian Foreign Minister said that Ukraine had violated international law and provoked Russia by sending its naval ships into the Kerch Strait without authorization.
The Russian coastguard fired Sunday at three Ukrainian ships and seized them with their crews. The Ukrainian navy said six of its sailors had been injured, while Russia said three Ukrainian sailors had been slightly injured.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Monday accused Ukraine of violating international legal standards by not allowing the authorization of its vessels. Ukraine has accused Russia of aggression, claiming that she had ignored a notification sent by the ships.
Dmitry Peskov, spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin, told Russian news agencies on Monday that it was a "dangerous provocation" of Ukraine that deserves attention. particular and a thorough investigation ".
A 2003 treaty designates the Kerch Strait and the Azov Sea as common territorial waters, but Russia has been striving to exercise greater control over the passage since the annexation of the Crimea in 2014.
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1:10 p.m.
Dozens of far-right protestors burn tires in front of the Russian consulate in Lviv, western Ukraine, to protest the seizure of Ukrainian ships off the Crimea.
Monday's protest was organized by the National Corps party, which also called for a demonstration outside the office of President Petro Poroshenko in the capital, Kiev. The group says that Poroshenko is not aggressive enough against Russia. The group is small but can put pressure on the president.
In addition to the Lviv protests, the far-right C14 group posted on Facebook photos of a car carrying Russian diplomatic plates burned in front of the Russian Embassy in Kiev.
The European Union and NATO called for restraint on both sides after the Russian coastguard fired on Ukrainian navy ships near the Kerch Strait before seizing them. The Ukrainian navy said six of its sailors had been injured.
Russia and Ukraine blamed the incident.
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12:50
The Ukrainian President calls on Russia to immediately release Ukrainian sailors and ships seized in a clash in the Black Sea.
Petro Poroshenko said Monday at a meeting of the National Security Council of Ukraine: "We demand that they be surrendered urgently to the Ukrainian side" and called for a "de-escalation" of the crisis around Crimea.
Later on Monday, the Ukrainian parliament must consider a presidential request for the introduction of martial law.
The Ukrainian navy has said that six Ukrainian sailors were injured when Russian coastguards fired at three Ukrainian ships near the Kerch Strait before seizing them on Sunday night. The two nations exchanged responsibility for the incident. It has exacerbated tensions that have soared since Ukraine annexed the Crimean peninsula in 2014 and supported a separatist insurgency in eastern Ukraine.
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11:55
NATO calls on Russia and Ukraine to exercise restraint after the Russian coastguard fired on Ukrainian navy ships, injuring six sailors.
The Ukraine said the vessels were complying with international maritime rules when they were heading towards the Azov Sea. Russia claims to have not obtained permission to cross the Kerch Strait separating the Crimea from the Russian mainland. Tensions between NATO and Russia have increased since 2014, after the annexation of the Crimean peninsula by Ukraine to Russia.
NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu said: "We call for restraint and de-escalation."
She said that NATO supports the "navigation rights of Ukraine in its territorial waters" and called on Russia to "guarantee unimpeded access to the Ukrainian sea ports of Georgia". Azov, according to international law ".
NATO headquarters declined to say Monday whether its ambassadors would meet to discuss the incident, but the alliance is in contact with the Ukrainian authorities.
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10:50
A senior German official calls on Russia and Ukraine to defuse tensions after firing Russian Coast Guard ships on Ukrainian navy ships.
Michael Roth, a deputy foreign minister, told Deutschlandfunk radio on Monday that the deal was "very dangerous." The last thing we need is a further escalation of relations between Russia and Russia. Ukraine".
Roth said that he had no personal information about the incident "but it is clear that Russia, in accordance with international law, must guarantee unhindered access to Ukrainian ports in the sea of Azov ". He added that "both parties must now de-escalate" and avoid a spiral of tension that "could ultimately have terrible consequences".
Moscow and Kiev are behind the incident which has further exacerbated the tensions that have increased since Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula in Ukraine in 2014.
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10:20
The Ukrainian parliament is expected to consider a presidential request for the introduction of martial law in Ukraine following an incident in which Russian coastguards fired on Ukrainian navy ships.
The Ukrainian navy has said that six Ukrainian sailors were injured when Russian coastguards fired at three Ukrainian ships near the Kerch Strait before seizing them on Sunday night.
The two countries blamed each other for the incident, which has further exacerbated tensions since Russia's annexation of the Crimean peninsula in 2014 and the support of the separatist rebellion in eastern Ukraine.
The Ukraine said that its vessels were heading towards the sea of Azov in accordance with international maritime rules, while Russia declared not having obtained permission to cross the narrow strait of Kerch separating Crimea from the Russian mainland.
Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, disseminated, rewritten or redistributed.
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