United States to sail warship to Black Sea amid Russia-Ukraine tensions

Sergio Conner

December 8, 2018

It is very important that the rule of law and worldwide norms were strictly adhered to, causing consequences for those countries that seek to undermine the right of other countries to their own national income.

Ukraine's Foreign Ministry has appealed to the Budapest Memorandum guarantor countries (the United States, the United Kingdom and Russia) for urgent consultations over the Kerch Strait standoff.

The vessels were attempting to pass through the Kerch Strait, which is located between Russia's mainland and the Crimean Peninsula that Russian Federation annexed from Ukraine in 2014.

On Wednesday, the US Navy sailed the guided missile destroyer USS McCampbell near contested waters in the Sea of Japan Wednesday, an action that is bound to irk Russian Federation.

Ukrainian ports of the Azov sea reduced the turnover more than doubled, forced to go on four-day working week and reduce staff.

The situation came to a head late last month when Russian Federation fired at, damaged and subsequently seized three Ukrainian navy vessels, along with 24 crew members who now face charges of illegal border crossing. Russian Federation fired on Ukrainian naval vessels that were attempting to pass under the massive bridge that spans the Kerch Strait and links Russian Federation with Crimea.

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As part of martial law, Ukraine has beefed up its forces on the border with Russia, called up reservists for training and barred entry to all Russian males between ages 16 and 60.

"Based on the fact that the ships and sailors have not been returned to Ukraine from Russian Federation, I have decided it would be best for all parties concerned to cancel my previously scheduled meeting in Argentina with President Vladimir Putin", Trump tweeted from Air Force One en route to Argentina.

Later Tuesday, the Ukrainian Agriculture Ministry said grain was again being loaded onto ships in the two ports.

A decades-old treaty requires that all countries that do not have a Black Sea coastline are required to give Turkey 15-days notice when their warships plan to transit the waterway.

According to CNN, the last USA ship to enter the Black Sea was the fast transport ship USNS Carson City in October.