Ukraine will look for the peaceful ways to settle the conflict in Kerch Strait; however, it will reserve the right for the self-defense. Pavlo Klimkin, Foreign Minister of Ukraine, made such a statement as 112 Ukraine reported.
“In accordance with UN Charter, Ukraine will look for the peaceful ways for the settlement of the conflict as it is provided by Article 33 of the UN Charter, but certainly it reserves the possibility to use the right of the self-defense as it is stated in the Article 51 of the UN Charter,” he claimed.
He also emphasized that at the moment Ukraine holds the active negotiations at the international level to release the captured sailors and vessels.
“It is very important that the whole civilized world will not be restricted by formal and informal statements but used the proper measures against Russia. Now we intensively talk with all our friends and partners. We urge them to use all the measures and levers for the release of our sailors and vessels,” the minister said.
As we reported earlier, the coast guard ships of the Russian Navy acted aggressively against the ships of the Ukrainian Navy, which have been carrying out a scheduled transition from Odesa port to Mariupol port in the Sea of Azov.
Kyiv demands from Moscow to immediately provide the medical service to the wounded sailors and provide them urgent return to the Ukrainian territory. According to the Naval Forces of Ukraine, six sailors are wounded and two of them were in the critical condition.
The Russians shelled and seized the vessels of the Ukrainian Naval Forces “Berdyansk”, “Nikopol,” and “Yany Kapu,” which passed from Odesa (the Black Sea) to Mariupol (the Sea of Azov), moving through Kerch Strait. The state of 23 Ukrainian sailors is unknown.
Russian authorities said that three Ukrainian warships in the Sea of Azov illegally entered the territorial waters of the Russian Federation and headed to the Kerch Strait.
The boats of the Russian Border Guard Service opened fire on the ship group of the Ukrainian Navy, which was moving towards the exit from the Kerch Strait.
Given the tough situation in the area of Kerch Strait in the Sea of Azov, President Petro Poroshenko supported the offer of Ukraine's national security and defense council; it stipulates that the Ukrainian Parliament should consider the option to impose the martial law in Ukraine.
Besides, the UN Security Council is holding an emergency meeting regarding the aggressive acts conducted by the Russian Federation against Ukraine in the Sea of Azov.
