Denmark’s foreign minister called on Tuesday for European Union-wide sanctions on Russia over a standoff with Ukraine in the Azov Sea.
Anders Samuelsen will meet Ukraine’s foreign minister, Pavlo Klimkin, on Tuesday and Wednesday and visit the city of Mariupol by the Azov Sea, the foreign ministry said in a statement.
“I believe the EU needs to react to Russia’s aggressive behaviour,” Samuelsen said in the statement, Reuters reported.
The EU will issue a demarche - a formal diplomatic protest note - to Moscow as early as this week over Russia’s continued detention of 24 Ukrainian sailors captured during the incident in November, diplomat sources said last week.
European foreign ministers meet on Thursday this week to discuss Ukraine and other issues.