In the US Senate, a resolution was drafted calling upon the head of the White House, Donald Trump, to initiate an international operation to ensure freedom of navigation in the Black Sea and the unimpeded passage of ships to the Sea of ​​Azov. Also, senators offer to provide additional assistance to the Ukrainian military, especially in the field of maritime security. As specified in the document, it is necessary to demonstrate support for recognized international borders.

The resolution “calls on the country's president to cooperate with the US allies to immediately carry out an active multinational operation to ensure freedom of navigation in the Black Sea to demonstrate support for internationally recognized borders, bilateral agreements and the principle of safe passage of ships in the Kerch Strait and the Sea of ​​Azov, as well as to resist Russia's excessive sovereignty claims (above the designated water area) ”.

The document calls on NATO to increase the naval presence and potential of the Allied forces in the Black Sea, "including raising awareness about sea areas and strengthening coastal defenses." According to the drafters and signatories of the resolution, this is necessary to support operations to “ensure freedom of navigation.”

At the same time, the European allies of the United States must ban Russian warships from entering their ports for refueling.

US senators did not ignore the construction of the second branch of the Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline. Lawmakers urge partners and allies of Washington to abandon the implementation of this project. Senators refer to the resolution adopted by the European Parliament on December 12, condemning the construction of the gas pipeline. Recall, the authors of this document called the work on laying the pipeline a political project that poses a threat to European security, and also stressed the "key" role of Ukraine in providing the European energy market.

One of the points of the resolution urges the president to use his powers "to expand the capabilities of the Ukrainian armed forces."

  • US Senator Ron Johnson
  • AFP
  • © WIN MCNAMEE / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA

Criticizing Russia, the senators refer to the statement of the European Commissioner for Security Julian King, who in early December accused Moscow of organizing an information campaign against Ukraine - allegedly in this way the Russian side was preparing the ground for seizing the ships of the Ukrainian Navy. For example, the Russian Federation was blamed for spreading rumors about the cholera virus in the waters of the Sea of ​​Azov, although this kind of information has periodically circulated in the media for several years, appearing for the first time long before the coup d'état in Ukraine.

Addressing the head of the White House, the senators also recalled the "important national interests of the United States" in the Black Sea region, including the security of the three NATO member states.

“We have to answer - and respond with force. Weakness only provokes further aggression, ”said Senator James Inhofe, who signed the document.

The resolution was supported by 41 senators out of 100, including the authors - Republican Ron Johnson and Democrat Richard Durbin.

According to HSE professor Dmitry Yevstafyev, the preparation of this document is an attempt to create a political HYIP around a topic that US senators do not even understand.

“They do not understand the essence of the question, the technical aspects, and if they are asked about the depth of the channel of the Kerch Strait, they will not be able to answer. Moreover, many will not be able to show it on the map at all. But they see here an information-political history, which they are trying to integrate, naturally, on an anti-Russian wave. By and large, this is a very typical situation, it shows everything you need to know about modern American policy towards Russia, ”the expert emphasized in an interview with RT.

"To unite the new Entente"

It is possible that such views on the situation in the Black Sea region from American lawmakers could have been formed, including with the help of Kiev partners. One of the authors of the resolution, Ron Johnson, visited Ukraine in early December, where he met with President Petro Poroshenko and visited the Yavoriv military training ground in the Lviv region. During negotiations with the Ukrainian leader, the US senator stated that the United States condemned Moscow’s actions.

“Probably, the American senator was very generously met in Kiev, therefore he had the idea of ​​such a resolution. On the one hand, such initiatives should be taken soberly and seriously, but at the same time, it should be understood that American politics is becoming more and more a circus, ”Leonid Polyakov, head of the department of general political science at HSE, said in an interview.

Almost simultaneously with the publication of the draft resolution of the US Senate, the Ukrainian Air Force editors published an interview with the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Oleksandr Turchynov, in which he reported on the preparation of new attempts to break through the Kerch Strait by Ukrainian warships.

  • Alexander Turchinov
  • Reuters
  • © Valentyn Ogirenko

“I believe that this issue cannot be delayed. We also offer our partners to take part in this passage from the Ukrainian Black Sea ports to the Ukrainian ports on the Azov coast, ”said Turchinov.

Answering a journalist's question about whether NATO ships could appear in the Sea of ​​Azov, Turchinov said that "it would be very logical," but so far Kiev’s initiative "has not received an answer."

Commenting on the statements of the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine and the US senators, the experts concluded that we are talking about a coordinated action.

“The synchronism of statements by US senators and Kiev is not accidental. The American side is interested in maximally fan the fire in Ukraine and bring the conflict between Moscow and Kiev to the very peak, ”Polyakov explained in a conversation with RT. “This is necessary in order to rally the new Entente and turn Russia into an aggressor, which will be expelled from the United Nations according to the model of 1939, when the Soviet Union was expelled from the League of Nations as a result of an armed conflict with Finland.”

In addition, the secretary of the National Security and Defense Council spoke about the whole “Russian armada”, which allegedly concentrated on the borders of Ukraine from the Russian Federation. According to Turchinov, Moscow is investing “colossal resources”, developing military infrastructure along the borders, rebuilding airfields for attack aircraft and creating “huge bases” of military equipment.

At the same time, Kiev tried to enlist the support of not only representatives of the American establishment, but also the international community. On December 18, the UN General Assembly, by a majority vote, adopted a resolution proposed by the Ukrainian side in collaboration with 30 states. In the document, Russia is accused of violating human rights in Crimea. It also condemns the "temporary occupation by the Russian Federation of part of the territory of Ukraine." The resolution expresses concern about the “progressive militarization” of the Crimean Peninsula, as well as the incident that occurred on November 25 in the Kerch Strait. According to the authors of the document, responsibility for it lies on the Russian side.

At the end of November, three warships of Ukraine, sailing through the Kerch Strait, entered Russian territorial waters. Crews of the courts refused to comply with the legal requirements of the Russian border service and were detained. The Russian Foreign Ministry called the incident with the Ukrainian courts a deliberate provocation. For the Kiev authorities, events in the Kerch Strait served as a formal reason for imposing martial law in certain regions of Ukraine for a period of 30 days.

As it became known later, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense imposed a security classification on all materials relating to the incident in the Kerch Strait. This was told by the Deputy Permanent Representative of Russia to the UN Dmitry Polyansky.

"Exacerbate the situation"

According to experts, by their actions, Kiev seeks to create a zone of constant tension and conflict in the Black Sea region, refusing dialogue. As Leonid Polyakov explained, Kiev refers to the treaty of 2003, according to which Ukrainian and Russian ships can pass through the strait without hindrance. But since then the situation has changed dramatically. First, the Crimean peninsula became part of Russia, and, as a result, both sides of the strait were under the jurisdiction of the Russian Federation.

“Secondly, Ukraine refused to renew the agreement on friendship, cooperation and partnership, on the basis of which an agreement was signed on the use of the Azov Sea and the Kerch Strait. This is a legal issue that needs to be settled and resolved, but this does not happen, ”the expert stressed.

Apparently, peace negotiations are clearly not part of Kiev’s plans: in December it became known that Ukraine was preparing an armed provocation on the border with Crimea by the end of the month. This was told to journalists by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

  • Reuters
  • © Gleb Garanich

“The additional information that we have and which we tend to believe is that Poroshenko is planning an armed provocation on the border with the Russian Federation, on the border with the Crimea for the last decade of December,” Lavrov said.

In parallel, the Ukrainian authorities are preparing for a rapid offensive in the Donbass. This was announced on December 13 by the representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia Maria Zakharova. According to the Russian diplomatic department, Kiev is planning an operation on the Mariupol direction in order to then get through to the Russian border.

According to Polyakov, the military activity of Kiev can be associated with the unofficial start of the election campaign in Ukraine. The current leader of the Republic of Petro Poroshenko is now extremely low rating, he loses to several rivals at once.

“Aggressive statements coming from Kiev may well be aimed at exacerbating the situation. And this is in the hands of the Ukrainian president, ”said Polyakov. “Perhaps one of the goals of this policy is the extension of martial law in areas where Poroshenko is least supported.”

Attempts by the US senators to intervene in the situation in Ukraine are also quite explicable, since the regime that was brought to power in Ukraine in 2014 with the direct support of the United States may now be vulnerable. Obviously, this can not fail to disturb many representatives of the American establishment, experts say.

“The document submitted by US senators resembles an invitation to war. Perhaps this appeal is addressed not only to Donald Trump, but also to external players, such as London. But it is unlikely, of course, that someone will seriously begin to get involved in an open conflict with Russia over Ukraine, ”concluded Leonid Polyakov.