Ukrainian leader calls on NATO to send warships after clash with Russia
ABCThe Ukrainian president has urged NATO to deploy naval ships to the Sea of Azov amid a standoff with Russia, a statement sharply criticised by the Kremlin as a provocation aimed at further inflaming tensions. Key points: German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she will press Vladimir Putin over tensions at G20 NATO has not responded and is unlikely to heed the request Turkey has offered to act as a mediator to resolve tensions President Petro Poroshenko made the call in an interview with the German daily Bild, saying that "Germany is one of our closest allies and we hope that states within NATO are now ready to relocate naval ships to the Sea of Azov in order to assist Ukraine and provide security." German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she plans to press Russian President Vladimir Putin at this weekend's G20 summit in Argentina to urge the release of the ships and crews, but added that, "we can only resolve this in talks with one another because there is no military solution to all of these conflicts". Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Mr Poroshenko's request for NATO to send warships into the Sea of Azov is "clearly aimed at provoking further tensions," adding that it was driven by the Ukrainian leader's "electoral and domestic policy motives." Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he discussed the possibility of a Turkish mediation to resolve tensions between Russia and Ukraine and held separate telephone conversations with Mr Putin and Mr Poroshenko on Thursday.