Ukraine Calls For Tougher EU Sanctions On Russia Over Crimea Bridge - Official

The EU response to what Ukraine sees as an illegal Russian bridge to Crimea was weak and needs to be toughened in the wake of Russian actions in the Sea of Azov, a senior Ukrainian official said.

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 11th October, 2018) The EU response to what Ukraine sees as an illegal Russian bridge to Crimea was weak and needs to be toughened in the wake of Russian actions in the Sea of Azov, a senior Ukrainian official said.

The union froze assets of six Russian firms this year over their involvement in the construction of the 12-mile road-and-rail link between the peninsula and mainland Russia.

"We call on the EU and NATO countries to impose additional sanctions on Russia for its actions in the Sea of Azov," Kostiantyn Yelisieiev, deputy head of the presidential administration, was quoted as saying by the Ukrinform news agency.

He said the European Union needed to put on hold all technical and military cooperation with Russia to prevent it from overhauling its Navy fleet, while stepping up military aid to Ukraine.

Tensions between Russia and Ukraine in the Azov Sea, which they both border, rose this year after Ukraine detained two Russian ships for calling in Crimean ports. Russia described it as "maritime terrorism" and ramped up patrols off its Azov coast, leading to accusations of illegal searches from Ukraine.