On Sunday, Russian warships seized three Ukrainian naval vessels in a narrow waterway that provides access from the Black Sea to the Sea of Azov, ramping up the tensions between the two countries.
According to Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) Border Service, the three Ukrainian warships had illegally entered Russia's territorial waters and were performing dangerous maneuvers. Russian state news agency TASS reported the three Ukrainian vessels, two gunboats and a tug, were detained by Russian forces and that "weapons were used to force them to stop." Six Ukrainian servicemen have been wounded according to the Ukrainian Navy.
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| The incident occurred at the Sea of Azov, which was declared as shared Russia-Ukrainian water in a 2003 treaty. |
The altercation, which detained 24 Ukrainian sailors, has resulted in Western powers calling for Russia to free the capture ships. Since then, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has called an emergency meeting with top security officials in the capital city of Kiev and the Ukrainian Parliament is due to vote on declaring martial law.
Russia has requested an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, which US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley has been called for 11:00 New York time on Monday.
The stand-off follows years of bitter Ukraine-Russia tensions and US failure to acknowledge Russian conflicts. This past July, President Donald Trump refused to denounce Russian President Vladimir Putin over election meddling in the 2016 Presidential Election, blaming both countries for the strained relationship. US officials have called out President Trump's inability to criticize Russia, following allegations of treasonous collusion. Trump has not commented on the recent issue so far.
Amidst the rising tensions, how do you believe America should respond?
In your opinion, is Russia or Ukraine justified in their actions?
What should be accomplished at the UN Security Council Meeting?
Sources:
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/418168-haley-un-security-council-to-hold-emergency-meeting-on-ukraine-russia
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/nov/25/nikki-haley-un-security-council-meet-russia-ukrain/
https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/russia-ukraine-unemergency/2018/11/25/id/891912/
https://twitter.com/nikkihaley/status/1066847973437521925?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-46340283
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-46338671
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAJX1oZco2Y
Russia and Ukraine have a complicated (to say the least) history and, in recent years, Russia has been delivering small attacks and accusations Ukraine (e.g. Ukrainian Pilot-MH17) Is there evidence that this conflict will escalate or will the tone likely remain as is?
ReplyDelete-Yev
The western powers of the UN Security Council have condemned this action as an act of aggression from Russia, and US-UN ambassador Nikki Hailey as well as Secretary of State have condemned Russia's role in the conflict. As of now President Trump hasn't issued any form of criticism other than stating it was "a bad situation all around."
DeleteEven if the Ukrainian gunboats were performing dangerous maneuvers, I do not think the act of ramming a warship into them and wounding six servicemen was necessary or justifiable. Furthermore, the fact that the United States refuses to criticize the Russian government is only making things more problematic allowing them to continue these actions.
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