Spokesman says Merkel urging Russia to return Ukrainian ships and personnel
94 views · Published 1 December 2018 · 2:20 · Indexed 20 September 2026
Channel: AP Archive · 2018 · News & Politics
(26 Nov 2018) German Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman is calling on Russia to release Ukrainian sailors and ships seized in a naval standoff near Crimea. Steffen Seibert on Monday urged both sides on Monday to open a dialogue quickly to clear up the case and calm tensions. He said that Sunday's incident raises "serious questions, above all regarding the use of military force by Russian forces for which, on the basis of the facts known to us so far, no justification is apparent." The Russian coast guard fired on three Ukrainian ships Sunday near the Kerch Strait and then seized them along with the crews, increasing tensions and drawing international concern. Seibert said Germany is "in contact with both sides." Also at Monday's briefing, Seibert condemned Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s recent description of Israel as a "cancerous tumour" established by Western countries to advance their interests in the region. Rouhani made those comments on Saturday. Although Iranian leaders frequently condemn Israel and predict its demise, the relatively moderate president rarely employs such rhetoric. Seibert said the German government "condemns this renewed questioning of the state of Israel’s right to exist in the strongest terms." He noted that Merkel has repeatedly said Israel’s right to exist is non-negotiable and "Germany will not tolerate it being questioned." Germany is a close ally of Israel and is also one of the countries standing by the deal with Iran to address concerns over that country’s nuclear activities. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/ You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/b4acc508250248b7f1e0a449c4da20f3
