NATO needs to assist Ukraine to build a shipbuilding facility on the Sea of Azov. The Ukrainian gunboats need to offer protection to ships traveling to the port city of Maripol. The ship traffic to Maripol has diminished to less than 50 percent before the Russian invasion of Crimea.
Russia is building a bridge to Crimea and they are worried it could be destroyed by bombs set from vessels in the Sea of Azov. There is no reason for the Russians to believe that; it is pure propaganda without a basis for their fear. Ukraine has not been interested in blowing up bridges, so much as a return to peace. Russia does not share that sentiment. Russia wants encroachment to threaten NATO.
Now, perhaps, the American people can understand why Trump's visit to Europe and the secret meeting of Helsinki (click here) took place. Russia needs the cooperation of the USA to defeat the Ukraine government. The indebtedness Trump carries to Russia just doesn't seem to end.
NATO needs to station more jets in Ukraine as soon as possible. I see no real reason for the bridge to Crimea to stand. It is the first step in an assault against NATO, hence, the encroachment from all borders of NATO's members. There should be regular jet and ship patrols by NATO over and in the Black Sea and Sea of Azov. Those waters are important to Ukraine and NATO. Stop the encroachment and end the construction of the bridge and end the passage of Russian vehicles and military to Crimea.
Russia initiated this. NATO is simply protecting it's sovereign borders. It is what it is.
Russia is building a bridge to Crimea and they are worried it could be destroyed by bombs set from vessels in the Sea of Azov. There is no reason for the Russians to believe that; it is pure propaganda without a basis for their fear. Ukraine has not been interested in blowing up bridges, so much as a return to peace. Russia does not share that sentiment. Russia wants encroachment to threaten NATO.
Now, perhaps, the American people can understand why Trump's visit to Europe and the secret meeting of Helsinki (click here) took place. Russia needs the cooperation of the USA to defeat the Ukraine government. The indebtedness Trump carries to Russia just doesn't seem to end.
NATO needs to station more jets in Ukraine as soon as possible. I see no real reason for the bridge to Crimea to stand. It is the first step in an assault against NATO, hence, the encroachment from all borders of NATO's members. There should be regular jet and ship patrols by NATO over and in the Black Sea and Sea of Azov. Those waters are important to Ukraine and NATO. Stop the encroachment and end the construction of the bridge and end the passage of Russian vehicles and military to Crimea.
Russia initiated this. NATO is simply protecting it's sovereign borders. It is what it is.
Seaports of Ukraine (click here)
Russia has fired on and seized three Ukrainian naval vessels (click here) off the Crimean Peninsula in a major escalation of tensions between the two countries.
Two gunboats and a tug were captured by Russian forces. A number of Ukrainian crew members were injured.
Each country blames the other for the incident. On Monday Ukrainian MPs are due to vote on declaring martial law.
The crisis began when Russia accused the Ukrainian ships of illegally entering its waters.
The Russians placed a tanker under a bridge in the Kerch Strait - the only access to the Sea of Azov, which is shared between the two countries....
