Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko speaks during a parliament session to review his proposal to introduce martial law for 60 days after Russia seized Ukrainian naval ships off the coast of Russia-annexed Crimea, in Kiev, Ukraine November 26, 2018. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko
Reuters: Putin accuses Ukraine leader of plotting naval clash to boost ratings
MOSCOW, (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday accused Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko of orchestrating a naval “provocation” in the Black Sea at the weekend in order to boost his flagging popularity ratings before an election next year.
Russia seized three Ukrainian naval vessels and their crews on Sunday over what it said was their illegal entry into Russian waters, something Ukraine denies.
The episode has raised fears in the West of a wider conflict between the two countries and Kiev has since introduced martial law in parts of the country, saying it fears a possible Russian invasion.
Some of Ukraine’s Western allies have raised the possibility of imposing new sanctions on Russia over the incident, which could deliver a blow to the Russian economy.
In his first public comments on the incident, Putin said the Ukrainian vessels had clearly been in the wrong, dismissed the incident as a minor border issue, and accused Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko of having orchestrated the mini crisis in order to boost his dire ratings.
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WNU Editor: There are many in Ukraine who agree with Putin .... Response to Russian Naval Spat Does Ukraine's Leader No Favors (Bloomberg). What's my take .... Poroshenko's poll numbers are in the toilet, where even a comic who wants to run in next year's Presidential election is polling better than he is. This entire incident did not have to end the way that it did ..... but it did. And now we have an international incident with severe geopolitical consequences.
