Ukrainian seizure of Ukrainian ships is a "scandalous breach", says Haley in UK: NPR

Updated at 12:27 ET

Russia's seizure of three Ukrainian warships near Crimea is a "scandalous violation of the sovereign territory of Ukraine," said US ambassador to Nikki Haley, calling it "reckless climbing again" "in a deadly conflict that has been going on for years.

"In the name of international peace and security, Russia must immediately put an end to its illegal behavior and respect the rights and freedoms of navigation of all states," said Haley, speaking at the same time. an emergency meeting of the US Security Council on Monday morning.

Haley said she was speaking for "the highest level of US government" after consulting with President Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

Haley spoke one day after Russian warships fired on Ukrainian navy ships Berdyansk, Nikopol and tug Yana Kapu, injuring at least one ship and wounding several crew members on Sunday, announced # 39; Ukraine.

The military confrontation has intensified the already strong tensions between the two countries, almost five years after Russia's forcible annexation of Crimea to Ukraine.

Ukrainian ships were trying to cross the Kerch Strait, a strategically important waterway that passes under a recently built Russian bridge. It connects the small sea of ​​Azov (and otherwise enclaved) to the Black Sea. The Ukraine said the ships were heading from the port of Odessa to Mariupol.

Russia accused Ukraine of illegally entering its waters. Ukraine stated that its vessels operated in accordance with international maritime rules.

Volodymyr Yelchenko, Ukraine's ambassador to North America, said: "Hell has been unleashed" on the water, claiming that Ukrainian ships had been arrested after being forced to Wait for a safe passage in the strait. He said that he had audio recordings of radio traffic showing how the Russian army had orchestrated the episode.

On Monday, the seizure led Ukraine to consider the imposition of martial law inside its borders, the Ukrainian legislators weighing the thing after a request from President Petro Poroshenko.

"The martial law will last 30 days" and will end in December, President Petro Poroshenko said as lawmakers debated the move. It would officially come into effect on Wednesday, he added.

Answering the many questions about the impact of the adoption of martial law on the plan of Ukraine in the national elections, Mr Poroshenko announced that they would still have place on March 31st. He also indicated that he would evaluate the conditions at the end of December.

Poroshenko said the ban represented a "new step" in Russia's actions against Ukraine, calling it a break with what it has called a "hybrid war" conducted in recent years .

During the Security Council session, Deputy Ambassador of Russia, Dmitry Polanski, said that Poroshenko and Ukraine had provoked the confrontation and then used a "mythical Russian aggression" "to achieve its own goals.

Video of a Russian ship, which included strong language from the deck crew, shows that he is boarding a Ukrainian tug The Ukrainian authorities have stated that six of his sailors were injured. Russia said three. The boats were towed to a nearby port.

In response, Poroshenko convened a late-night meeting with senior security officials in the capital, Kiev.

Poroshenko's demand to impose martial law provoked mixed reactions in Ukraine, as it would curtail Ukrainians' civil liberties and increase state power – and give the unpopular president the freedom to postpone elections of March, where he will face a difficult battle to retain power. .

Russian media said Poroshenko had caused the maritime incident as a way to delay the election – and potentially increase the stakes between President Trump and Putin, who are scheduled to meet later this week .

Trump did not comment on the incident. The governments of Germany, the United Kingdom and other European countries have condemned the seizure of Ukrainian vessels and called on Russia to return the ships and restore the safety of passage in the strait.

A spokesman for the FSB, the country's federal security service – which oversees the coast guard – said Ukrainian ships were violating territorial waters and needed to be stopped.

As Reuters reports:

"The FSB said that he had been forced to act because the ships – two small Ukrainian artillery tanks and a tug – had illegally entered his territorial waters, had attempted illegal actions and had ignored the warnings to stop when they maneuvered dangerously. "

"It is a very dangerous provocation, which requires special attention and a special investigation," Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

The FSB will publish evidence proving "Kiev's plans to provoke the Black Sea," media reports said.

The incident has sparked a broad international response, sparking the concern of several countries – mainly for Ukraine at the hands of its most powerful neighbor.

The European Union issued a statement "urging all parties to exercise the utmost restraint". NATO called for "restraint and de-escalation".

"NATO fully supports the sovereignty of Ukraine and its territorial waters," said NATO spokesman Oana Lungescu in a statement. declaration. "We call on Russia to guarantee unhindered access to Ukrainian posts in the sea of ​​Azov, in accordance with international law."

Russia has extolled this 12-mile stretch as a claim to Crimea. Ukraine, along with almost every other country in the world, refuses to recognize this claim.

Russia blocked the strait before the incident and reopened it to commercial shipping early Monday.

The clash is the latest sign of worsening relations between countries since the annexation of the Crimean peninsula by Russia. Ukraine continues to wage a low-level war against a pro-Moscow separatist insurgency in the east of the country.

The Kerch Strait and the Azov Sea are shared territorial waters, according to a 2003 treaty. Russia has been trying to exercise greater control over the waterway since the annexation, the Kerch Bridge constituting a decisive progress.

Ukrainians reacted to the maritime crisis with anger. About 150 people reportedly gathered in front of the Russian Embassy in Kiev, where a car carrying Russian diplomatic plates was set on fire.

"We have gathered here today to protest against the Russians for their actions today, for shooting at our army," protester Oleksiy Ryabov told Reuters. "We are very angry, we should have broken all diplomatic relations with this country a long time ago."

Right-wing protesters reportedly burned tires in front of the Russian consulate in Lviv, western Ukraine, claiming that Poroshenko was not aggressive enough in his relations with Russia .

NPR's Lucian Kim contributed to this report.