NATO head calls on Russia to free Ukrainian ships, sailors

NATO head Jens Stoltenberg called on Russian on Monday to release Ukrainian navy ships and sailors, saying there was no justification for Moscow’s actions.

“What we saw yesterday was very serious,” Stoltenberg told a news conference after an emergency meeting of the Western military alliance held on request on Ukraine.

“All allies expressed full support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty,” he added. “There is no justification for the use of military force against Ukrainian ships and naval personnel so we call on Russia to release immediately the Ukrainian sailors and ships it seized yesterday.”

U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley said Russia has committed an “outrageous violation” of Ukraine’s sovereignty by seizing several Ukrainian naval vessels near the disputed Crimea region, calling on Russia to “immediately cease its unlawful conduct” in the Black Sea.

The Ukrainian navy says Russian ships fired on and seized three of its artillery ships Sunday. The incident sharply escalated tensions that have been growing between the two countries since Moscow annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.

Anne Gueguen, the French deputy permanent representative at the U.N., urged the release of the sailors and the vessels. She said Sunday’s incidents show the need for de-escalation and a long term resolution to the dispute over Crimea.

Russia, meanwhile, called Ukraine’s actions “dangerous” and said the three Ukrainian vessels illegally crossed into Russian waters.

Dmitry Polyanskiy, Russia’s first deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, told the Security Council the weekend incident was another example of Ukrainian leaders trying to provoke Russia for political purposes. He claimed Porschenko needed a war ahead of the March election to gain support from the public.