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Putin, Poroshenko have no plans to discuss Kerch Strait incident — Kremlin

The Kremlin spokesman comments on the Kerch Strait provocation

MOSCOW, November 26. /TASS/. So far, no contacts between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Pyotr Poroshenko over the Kerch Strait incident are planned, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday.

"I am not aware," he said in response to the question about whether there will be any bilateral contacts in relation to said issue.

The Kremlin spokesman added that so far, the Russian and Ukrainian leaders have not discussed the current situation. "If you mean the talks between the two presidents - no, there haven’t been any," he said.

Putin has no immediate plans to have any telephone conversations over the incident in the Kerch Strait, he said. 

"So far, no," he said when asked whether Putin plans to have any telephone conversations with foreign leaders following the incident.

The Kremlin spokesman refrained from trying to anticipate whether this topic could be raised at Putin’s meeting with US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the upcoming Group of Twenty summit in Argentina. "I don’t know, let us wait and see," he said.

He stressed that it was a "very serious provocation" and this matter will be discussed at the United Nations Security Council at Russia’s initiative. "So, let us wait and see whether it will be included on the agenda of bilateral talks," he said.

According to Peskov, a concrete date for Putin’s possible meeting with Trump has not yet been agreed. "it [the meeting] will take place on the sidelines of the Group of Twenty meeting and we will announce its date and time later," he said, adding that the basic plan has already been drawn and details are being agreed.

Kerch Strait incident

In violation of the rules of passage via Russia’s territorial sea and the Kerch Strait, three warships of the Ukrainian Navy crossed Russia’s state border on November 25. The Russian side had to use weapons to compel the ships to stop. Three Ukrainian servicemen were lightly wounded. They received medical assistance. The ships were detained and escorted to the port of Kerch. A criminal case was initiated on border violation charges.

The Russian side described the incident as a provocation.

Meanwhile the Ukrainian authorities have come up with an initiative to declare martial law. The European Union and NATO, in turn, have called for de-escalation of the situation.