Andrzej Duda
Poland's president said on Tuesday Warsaw would join any international moves to step up sanctions on Russia, after Moscow opened fire on and seized three Ukrainian navy ships near Russian-annexed Crimea over the weekend.
The U.S. State Department, the European Union, Britain, France, Denmark, and Canada have all condemned what they called Russian aggression. Moscow accuses the Ukrainian vessels of intruding into its territorial waters on Sunday, which Kiev denies.
"If there are such international initiatives, like further sanctions (on Russia), Poland will take part in these initiatives, because we are ready for all actions that will lead to solving the conflict," Polish President Andrzej Duda said during a visit to Bulgaria, speaking through a Bulgarian translator.
Europe may need to impose tougher sanctions against Moscow following Russia's seizure of Ukrainian vessels, an ally of German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Tuesday.Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko has warned of the "extremely serious" threat of a land invasion after Russia seized three Ukrainian naval ships and took their crew prisoner at the weekend.Norbert Roettgen, a member of Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union who chairs the German parliamentary foreign affairs committee, said Russia's behaviour was deeply worrying and that tougher sanctions were an option."So far there are no talks about tougher sanctions but I generally would not rule this out," Roettgen told Deutschlandfunk radio."In my view, such behaviour cannot remain without consequences and I don't think one should say that there won't be any further sanctions."Merkel has stressed the need for dialogue while the European Union, Britain, France, Poland, Denmark, and Canada all condemned what they called Russian aggression. Russia summons Ukrainian diplomat over Kerch Strait incidentUkraine president decrees martial law, parliament has to approveRussia opens civil case against Google
Europe may need to step up sanctions on Russia over Ukraine: Merkel ally