Crimea and Punishment

... Ukrainian decision to have military ships cross the Kerch Strait, but even if they had not, access to the Azov Sea would have been cut off anyway. I am therefore afraid we are facing one of Russia’s new fait accompli , which seeks to further constrain Ukraine's independence. Tony Kevin: The Kerch Strait Gambit How do you think this crisis is impacting Russia-Europe relations? And Russia’s relations with the US? Andrey Kortunov The initial European reaction was quite balanced. On the one hand, they could not support Russia’s use of force and called for the immediate release of detainees and vessels. On the other hand, Europeans suspect that President Poroshenko is trying ...