REUTERS/Yevgeny Volokin
British
Britain's defense minister took a ride aboard a Ukrainian naval vessel in the Black Sea in a gesture of support after last month's naval clash between Russia and Ukraine.
On November 26, Russian coast guard vessels fired upon and seized three Ukrainian naval ships in the Black Sea as they tried to sail to Ukrainian ports on the nearby Sea of Azov. Russia also detained the ships' 24 crewmen.
UK Defense Minister Gavin Williamson went to sea Friday on a vessel similar to one of the seized Ukrainian gunboats with Ukrainian Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak.
Williamson's visit followed the arrival earlier this week of a British warship, HMS Echo, at the Ukrainian port of Odessa, located on the Black Sea. Poltorak was given a tour of the British vessel.
REUTERS/Yevgeny Volokin
British Defense Minister Gavin Williamson, second from right, with his Ukrainian counterpart Stepan Poltorak, third from right, aboard Ukrainian navy frigate Getman Sagaidachny in Odessa, December 21, 2018.
Williamson visited the British navy ship, which he said was there to send a message. "What we are saying to Russia, what we are saying to President Putin - they cannot continue to act with no regard or care for international laws or international norms," he said, according to the BBC.
The Echo, a hydrographic survey ship, is used to collect ocean data. Russia has described the vessel as a spy ship. It is not expected to sail through the Kerch Strait, which connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Azov.
"The reason ... that HMS Echo is here is that we firstly want to demonstrate the solidarity that we have with Ukraine and the fact that Ukraine doesn't stand alone," Williamson said, according to Reuters. "But also demonstrate our right to be able to come to ports such as Odessa, for freedom of navigation, for freedom for navies to be able to operate in the Black Sea. This isn't Russia's sea, this is an international sea."
Williamson also visited the families of the 24 Ukrainian sailors being held by Russia, who are now awaiting trial in Moscow.
REUTERS/Yevgeny Volokin
British Defense Minister Gavin Williamson, center, meets Ukrainian navy sailors in Odessa, December 21, 2018.
The US State Department also said Friday that the US would provide Ukraine an additional $10 million in military financing for its navy in response the the incident at sea last month, which the US called a "dangerous escalation."
After the incident, President Donald Trump cancelled a meeting with Putin on the sidelines of the G20 summit. Because the Ukrainian ships and sailors had not been returned, Trump said at the time, "I have decided it would be best for all parties concerned to cancel my previously scheduled meeting in Argentina with President Vladimir Putin."
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The US follows the UK and Lithuania in increasing its security assistance to Ukraine after the incident.
"The United States calls on Russia to immediately return to Ukraine the seized vessels and detained Ukrainian crews, to keep the Kerch Strait and the Sea of Azov open to ships transiting to and from Ukrainian ports, and to respect Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity," the State Department added.