Wast launches new attack on Russia

The U.S. Senate unanimously approved a resolution condemning Russia's "provocative actions" in the Kerch Strait.

The resolution was introduced by Senators Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), the chairman and ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Europe and Regional Security Cooperation.

"The resolution of the Senate 709, condemning Russia's provocative actions in the Kerch Strait against the Ukrainian navy, was adopted," the resolution says.

Johnson said that the resolution "strongly condemns" Russia's actions and urges the country to release crew members. The resolution also voices support for the Ukrainian government. Johnson noted that the resolution has "almost 50 co-sponsors in the Senate."

The U.S. Congress resolutions have no imperative force.

British Prime Minister Theresa May, in turn, said that Britain would continue to push for :appropriate sanctions" against Russia over the Kerch Strait situation.

She recalled that the UK has always been "at the forefront in the EU of calling for sanctions on Russia in relation to its behavior." "We will continue to push for what we consider to be appropriate sanctions on Russia," Reuters cited May as saying.

The British PM said that this situation was "part of a pattern of Russian behavior".She urged to release "those ships and sailors, de-escalate the situation."

The senior research fellow at the European Research Centre of the International Relations Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Vladimir Olenchenko, speaking to Vestnik Kavkaza, noted that the West proceeded to exacerbate relations with Russia due to the fact that Moscow did not behave in the Kerch provocation as it had been expected. "Russia's resolute and firm actions ruled out the scenario planned by Kiev and in the West, that is, the western plan for this provocation was, in fact, thwarted. The current situation is an expression of deep disappointment with developments by the U.S. and the UK, which were the main producers of the Kerch Strait provocations. In April, the UK allocated £11 million to help Ukraine in  repelling the so-called 'Russian aggression'. Now it turned out that their plans against Russia do not work."

"I think they intended to attract all countries to it, but most of the Western states avoided, because circumstances indicate that is was a deliberately prepared provocation in the Kerch Strait. There have been calls to increase pressure on Russia only from the U.S. and the UK (and Estonia), that is, the countries, which are  traditional generators of Russophobia and anti-Russian policy. Therefore, one should not expect that the American-British campaign will unfold to the whole world," Vladimir Olenchenko stressed.