Ukraine vows to defend itself militarily against 'Russian aggression'
Ukraine will fight for its "independence, territory and freedom", its foreign minister says, as a stand-off with Russia continues.
Thursday 29 November 2018 22:25, UK
Ukraine will defend itself militarily if it has to against "Russian aggression" along the country鈥檚 coastline in the sea of Azov, the country's foreign minister has told Sky News.
Pavlo Klimkin said that the country's forces were more prepared and better equipped than ever before and the government would not let other parts of the country go the way of the Crimean peninsula.
"In the case of Russian attack for the Azov shore we are not just prepared to act militarily, we will fight for our independence, for our territory and our freedom," he said.
"We will all fight against the Russian aggression."
The minister claims that Russia is building up its forces and that the threat facing Ukraine is open ended.
The maritime clash on the Strait of Kerch, he claimed, was a signal of Russian intent to take over the whole area.
Under a 2003 agreement between the countries, the Sea of Azov is designated as a shared territorial water.
But Mr Klimkin conceded that there was little Ukraine could do apart from appeal for help from the West if Russia decided to shut the Strait of Kerch because the country has "limited naval potential".
On that note, he asked Ukraine's allies to continue to show "solidarity" and make the cost of any Russian blockade unaffordable for the Kremlin.
"We should ask all our friends and partners to put more pressure on Russia and to put more sanctions, simply to fundamentally increase the price of this action," he said.
The incident on Sunday has caught the international community off guard and is a reminder that the war in eastern Ukraine has not been resolved.
Russia has accused Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko of manufacturing the clash for domestic political reasons - he is well behind in the polls and there are elections next March.
Mr Klimkin, however, dismissed the allegations as more Russian disinformation as the martial law act only lasts for 30 days and the election period of campaigning does not start until January, so there is no overlap.
"If we don't have a major Russian attack on Ukraine it should go the way as it is because we've gone through two revolutions," he said.
"The sense of democratic values amongst Ukrainians within the Ukrainian society is fundamental."
He also appealed for the quick release of the captured sailors, who've been given custodial sentences, saying they had clearly been forced to make confessions and should be treated as prisoners of war.