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WORLD NEWS Friday 30 November 2018

Ukraine urges NATO to deploy ships in dispute with Russia

By YURAS KARMANAU Poroshenko said that mar-
VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV tial law wouldn't restrict
Associated Press travel, cash withdrawals
KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — The or currency purchases by
president of Ukraine is urg- Ukrainians, but Russians
ing NATO to deploy war- will face some unspecified
ships to the Sea of Azov, constraints.
a proposal that has been Ukraine's Ministry of Infra-
sharply criticized by Rus- structure says Russia has
sia as a provocation that blocked 35 merchant ships
could worsen tensions be- from leaving or entering the
tween the two countries Sea of Azov since Wednes-
following a weekend con- day.
frontation in the waters off The ministry said 18 ships
the Crimean Peninsula. have been stuck in the
U.S. President Donald Black Sea, waiting to pass
Trump said Thursday he through the Kerch Strait into
was canceling a planned the Sea of Azov. Another
meeting with Russian Presi- 17 vessels were unable to
dent Vladimir Putin at the leave the Ukrainian ports of
G-20 summit in Argentina Mariupol and Berdyansk on
because Moscow has not Ukrainian tanks are being transported in Urzuf, south coast of Azov sea, eastern Ukraine, the Sea of Azov, it said.
released the Ukrainian ves- Thursday, Nov. 29, 2018. Peskov insisted that Russia
sels and sailors it seized. Associated Press hasn't imposed any restric-
In an interview published tions on the ships' passage,
earlier Thursday with the Ukraine stipulates that per- Putin this weekend. Trump, world." adding that a possible log-
German daily Bild, Ukraini- mission from both countries who was en route to Bue- Putin on Wednesday criti- jam could be linked to poor
an President Petro Porosh- is required for warships from nos Aires for the G-20 sum- cized the West for what he weather.
enko laid out his hope that anywhere else to enter the mit, said he would not be described as connivance Ukraine's intelligence agen-
NATO would "relocate na- internal sea. meeting Putin because "the with Ukraine's "provoca- cy, the SBU, said a Russian
val ships to the Sea of Azov NATO spokeswoman Oana ships and sailors have not tion." fighter jet and a helicopter
in order to assist Ukraine Lungescu said the alliance been returned to Ukraine "The authorities in Kiev are fired rockets Sunday at the
and provide security" already has a strong pres- from Russia." successfully selling anti- three Ukrainian vessels be-
against Putin's expansionist ence in the region, and The Kremlin said it has not Russian sentiments as they fore they were captured —
ambitions. that NATO ships routinely been notified of a cancel- have nothing else left to the first time an airstrike was
The Russian coast guard patrol and conduct exer- lation. Russian news agen- sell," he said. "They can get reported.
fired on and seized three cises in the Black Sea, es- cies quoted Dmitry Peskov, away with whatever they "It's a miracle the Ukrainian
Ukrainian vessels and their pecially those from Bulgar- Putin's spokesman, as say- do. If they want to eat ba- seamen have survived,"
crews on Sunday. Russia al- ia, Romania, and Turkey, ing that the Kremlin only bies for breakfast today, SBU deputy chief Oleh Fro-
leged the Ukrainian vessels which border the sea. learned of the cancellation they will likely get served lov told reporters.
had failed to obtain permis- German Chancellor Ange- from Trump's tweet. too." There has been growing
sion to pass from the Black la Merkel said early Thurs- Peskov said the cancella- In response to Sunday's hostility between Ukraine
Sea into the Sea of Azov day that she plans to press tion means that Putin will events, Ukraine has im- and Russia since Mos-
through the Kerch Strait. Putin at the upcoming G-20 have "a couple of more posed martial law in parts of cow's annexation of the
Ukraine insisted its vessels summit in Argentina to urge hours" for "useful meetings" the country. Putin accused Crimean Peninsula from
were operating in line with the release of the Ukrainian with other leaders of the Poroshenko of provoking Ukraine in 2014. Russia has
international maritime rules ships and crews and to de- world's 20 largest econo- the naval incident in a bid also supported separat-
in the strait, which sepa- escalate the situation. mies. to impose martial law to ists in Ukraine's east with
rates Russia's mainland and "We can only resolve this in The Ukrainian government shore up his sagging popu- clandestine dispatches of
the Crimean Peninsula that talks with one another be- said Russia has blocked larity and sideline competi- troops and weapons. Fight-
it annexed from Ukraine in cause there is no military commercial traffic to and tors ahead of a presidential ing there has killed at least
2014. solution to all of these con- from Ukrainian ports on the election in March. 10,000 people since 2014
While condemning the Rus- flicts," she said. Sea of Azov, which Russia Peskov said Poroshenko's but eased somewhat after
sian action, NATO is not ex- It was not clear whether quickly denied. request for NATO warships a 2015 truce.The naval inci-
pected to send ships to the Merkel knew of Poroshen- "Putin wants nothing less is "clearly aimed at provok- dent marked the first overt
area, a deployment that ko's call for NATO's deploy- but to occupy the sea," ing further tensions," adding clash between Russian and
could trigger a confron- ment when she spoke. Poroshenko said. "The only that it was driven by "elec- Ukrainian militaries since
tation with Russia. A 2003 Trump tweeted his decision language he understands toral and domestic policy the 1991 collapse of the So-
treaty between Russia and to cancel a meeting with is the unity of the Western motives." viet Union. q