MOSCOW, November 30. /TASS/. The US Senate resolution on the Kerch Strait standoff with the Ukrainian warships fails to serve the interests of settling the situation and is just another anti-Russian move, Head of the Committee on International Affairs in the upper house of Russia’s parliament Konstantin Kosachev said on Friday.
The US Senate unanimously adopted a resolution on Thursday, denouncing Russia’s actions in the wake of the Kerch Strait incident, according to the information posted on the Senate’s website. The resolution also expresses support for the Ukrainian authorities.
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"Although there were two parties in the incident (like in any conflict situation) and, consequently two points of view, the senators clearly followed Ukraine’s logic. What’s more, they do not even hide it. The resolution has been adopted in support of Ukraine rather than in the interests of settling the situation," Kosachev wrote on his Facebook page.
"So, this is just more anti-Russian clatter coming out of Washington lately which lacks any subject matter whatsoever for a potential discussion, and, what’s more, without any creative outcomes," the Russian legislator emphasized.
The only thing that is being somehow discussed in this context is whether new sanctions will be imposed on Russia, the lawmaker noted.
"However, even in this regard it is necessary to accept this as a given fact. The scope and the periodic sequence of fresh US reprisals against our country are not linked in any way to any facts or events outside the United States or to the behavior of Russia itself. The source and the motivating forces for what is taking place stem solely from the domestic political fervor that is boiling over in the US capital and that is why I would not link a new wave of sanctions to this specific case," the Russian legislator noted.
On November 25, three Ukrainian naval ships violated the procedure for passing through Russia’s territorial waters while sailing from the Azov to the Black Sea.
After having breached the Russian border, the three Ukrainian warships were warned by Russia’s maritime security forces to stop. The intruding vessels ignored the demands, thereby evoking a chase involving gunfire in the Kerch Strait whereupon three Ukrainian navy sailors ended up lightly wounded. They were later given medical assistance. Consequently, the Ukrainian warships were detained and brought to Kerch. A criminal case has been opened into the violation of the Russian state border.
Russia has branded Ukraine’s stunt a provocation, while the Ukrainian authorities have exploited the incident to impose martial law. The European Union and NATO have called for de-escalating the situation.