Ukrainian Foreign Minister: Germany’s initiative on Azov is a sanction against Russia
The idea to establish international monitoring of navigation in the Kerch Strait and the Sea of Azov, which was proposed by German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, can be interpreted as a type of sanction against Russia, stated Foreign Minister of Ukraine Pavlo Klimkin after the working meeting with the Foreign Ministers of the EU countries in Brussels, UNIAN reports.
"Germany wants to introduce the mechanism of international monitoring. I believe that it is itself a sort of sanction against Russia. I will discuss this with Heiko Maas in a few days,” Klimkin stated. Maas proposed to extend the OSCE monitoring mission in Ukraine to the Sea of Azov: a move that could be discussed this week during the meeting of the representatives of Ukraine and Russia mediated by France and Germany.
At the same time, Maas stressed that Germany believes that the EU’s new sanctions against Russia because of the aggression against Ukraine are not appropriate while the efforts to de-escalate the conflict continue. Klimkin proposes that the EU impose personal sanctions against Russian military personnel who participated in the acts of aggression against Ukraine which would restrict the possible development of Russian Azov ports.
Maas claimed that the imposition of international monitoring of navigation and passage of ships in the Kerch Strait would require discussion with Russia.