All members of NATO support Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty – NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated following the extraordinary meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Commission.

NATO Allies and Ukraine discussed the serious situation in the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait. Ukraine provided Allies with detailed information on the November 25 incident.

“We call on Russia to ensure unhindered access to Ukrainian ports and allow freedom of navigation for Ukraine in the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait. There is no justification for the use of military force against Ukrainian ships and naval personnel. So we call on Russia to release immediately the Ukrainian sailors and ships it seized yesterday. And we call for calm and restraint.

This incident is a reminder that there is a war going on in Ukraine.  It has been going on for more than 4 years.  The Allied position has been consistent.  Since 2014, all Allies have condemned Russia’s aggressive actions in Crimea and Eastern Ukraine.

Russia must end its support to militant groups and withdraw all its forces from Ukrainian territory. Allies will not recognize Russia’s illegal and illegitimate annexation of Crimea,” Stoltenberg stated during a press conference.

SSecretary-General of NATO said that Russia’s ongoing militarization of Crimea, the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, poses further threats to Ukraine’s independence and undermines the stability of the broader region.

Stoltenberg also stressed that NATO continues to provide political and practical support to Ukraine and the people of Ukraine.