UN ambassador Haley condemns Russia’s seizure of Ukrainian naval ships

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley on Monday condemned Russia’s seizure of three Ukrainian ships as “dangerous” and “arrogant,” expressing America’s support for Kiev.

Haley also accused Russia of violating international law at the start of an emergency U.N. Security Council meeting that she called to discuss the incident, hammering Moscow for what she described as “yet another reckless Russian escalation” of the situation in Ukraine.

{mosads}Haley’s remarks came a day after Russia opened fire on and seized three Ukrainian naval vessels sailing through the Kerch Strait off the coast of the Crimea Peninsula, territory that Moscow annexed in 2014 but that is still widely recognized as Ukrainian territory. Russia’s federal security service, the FSB, said  it seized the ships for illegally sailing into Russian territorial waters. 

On Monday, Haley described the incident as an “arrogant act that the international community must condemn and will never accept.”

“We strongly support Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders, extending to its territorial waters. We express our deep concern over the incident, which represent a dangerous escalation and violation of international law,” Haley said. 

Haley’s statement represented the first public reaction from the Trump administration to Russia’s seizure of the Ukrainian ships. The incident comes days before President Trump is expected to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the Group of 20 (G-20) summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Moscow’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 inflamed tensions with Ukraine and the broader international community that have persisted for several years. The U.S. and most other nations have not recognized Moscow’s annexation of Crimea as legitimate and have imposed sanctions on Russia for its behavior.