Italy To Join EU's Position On Russia Sanctions Over Kerch Incident - Prime Minister

Fahad Shabbir (@FahadShabbir) Published December 12, 2018 | 12:09 AM

Italy will share the position of the European Union regarding potential Russia sanctions over the situation in the Kerch Strait, once it is formed, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said Tuesday.

ROME (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 11th December, 2018) Italy will share the position of the European Union regarding potential Russia sanctions over the situation in the Kerch Strait, once it is formed, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said Tuesday.

"Italy intends to follow its approach, which coincides with the European position [on sanctions against Russia], while firmly believing that sanctions are not the goal in itself, but a tool for finding a solution to the Ukrainian conflict," Conte said while addressing the lower house of the Italian parliament ahead of the next European Summit in Brussels.

Conte added that in connection with the incident in the Kerch Strait, Rome intended to discuss the situation with European colleagues.

After the incident, which occurred on November 25, when three Ukrainian ships were detained after illegally crossing Russian border, the Council of the European Union issued a declaration calling on all parties to the conflict to commit to restraint and de-escalation � no possible restrictive measures related to the conflict have been mentioned so far.

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said in a declaration on behalf of the European Union that the bloc would closely follow the current crisis and would act appropriately in coordination with its international partners.

In response to the incident, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko signed a decree declaring martial law in several Ukrainian regions located near the Russian border, and the coasts of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that the Kerch Strati incident was a provocation prepared in advance as a pretext to introduce martial law in Ukraine. Putin said the provocation could be linked to Poroshenko's low approval ratings ahead of the presidential campaign set to start in late December.