Poroshenko: Ukraine faces total war with Russia

KYIV, (Patria) - Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko warned of the threat of "total war" with Russia, which, according to him, has "drastically increased" its military presence on the border, further increasing tensions that have prevailed since the seizure of Ukrainian ships in the Black Sea.

- I don't want anyone to think this is child's play. Ukraine faces total war with the Russian Federation - President Poroshenko warned on Tuesday on Ukrainian television, Hina reports.

According to him, the number of tanks in Russian military bases along the border has "tripled", and the number of military units has "drastically increased".

The Ukrainian president spoke about a significant increase in the number of Russian warships in the Sea of Azov and the strengthening of the Russian military presence in Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula annexed by Moscow in 2014.

This is the first open military conflict between Moscow and Kyiv since the annexation of Crimea and the start of the armed conflict between the Ukrainian army and pro-Russian separatists in the east of the country in 2014, which claimed more than 10,000 lives.

The incident in the Black Sea occurred when Ukrainian Navy ships attempted to enter the Sea of Azov through the Kerch Strait, which is very important for the export of grain and steel produced in eastern Ukraine.

The Russian coast guard, under the jurisdiction of the security service (FSB), forcibly stopped two Ukrainian ships and a tugboat, accusing them of illegally entering Russian waters.

Russia called the incident a "provocation", while Ukraine condemned Moscow's "act of aggression", demanding the release of the sailors and the return of the ships.

Donald Trump, raising his tone towards Vladimir Putin, threatened to cancel their meeting planned for the end of the week at the G20 summit in Argentina.

The report on the situation that his national security advisors are to present to him soon will be "crucial," the US president told the Washington Post.

"I may not meet" with the Kremlin leader, he stressed, after the White House had just confirmed that the meeting would take place.

- I don't like this aggression, I don't want it at all - he said, Tanjug reports Reuters.

Europeans must do "more" to help Ukraine in its conflict with Russia over Crimea, US State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said on Tuesday.

Relations between the two countries are very tense since the Russian coast guard seized three Ukrainian warships near Crimea on Sunday.

The United States on Monday described the Russian act as "illegal".

This is a "serious escalation" and a "dangerous" conflict between Moscow and Kyiv, Nauert warned on Tuesday.

She said the situation would certainly be on the agenda of the NATO ministers' meeting, which US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is scheduled to attend next week in Brussels.

- We would like our European allies to do more to help Ukraine - said the State Department spokeswoman.

The US government has taken a firm stance to help Ukraine, we would like other countries to do more, so that the US is not almost alone in resolving these issues, she emphasized.

According to her, the sanctions imposed by European governments on Russia due to the annexation of Crimea and its role in Ukraine "are not always and in their entirety applied".

Heather Nauert also mentioned the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project, which is intended to connect Russia with Germany, bypassing Poland and Ukraine, through which Russian gas is currently transported.

Germany, supported by France and Austria, believes that the project will ensure a more stable and cheaper gas supply. However, US President Donald Trump has criticized it multiple times.

"These countries should ask themselves: do they want to continue with Nord Stream 2, which helps the Russian government?" the US spokeswoman asked.