Haley: UN Security Council to hold emergency meeting on Ukraine-Russia tensions

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley announced on Sunday the Security Council will hold an emergency meeting over an altercation between Ukraine and Russia.

“An emergency Security Council meeting has been called for tomorrow at 11:00am,” Haley tweeted, in reference to a dispute earlier in the day involving Russian and Ukrainian naval forces. 

An emergency Security Council meeting has been called for tomorrow at 11:00am https://t.co/FpCAD2rGPn

— Nikki Haley (@nikkihaley) November 26, 2018

The announcement was made after the Ukrainian government said Russian naval forces had fired upon and seized three of its vessels near Crimea. 

Ukraine’s navy said six sailors were injured in the altercation.

{mosads}The Russian Federal Security Service said three Ukrainian warships had entered Russia’s territorial waters illegally, according to state news agency TASS. 

Russia had reportedly asked for the Security Council to convene on Monday to address the dispute.

Sunday’s incident was the most high-profile altercation between Ukraine and Russia in years, with many journalists suggesting it could prove a tipping point in the years-long conflict. 

Ukrainian and Russian forces have been battling since 2014, when a revolution led to the ouster of pro-Moscow Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych. 

Moscow annexed Crimea shortly afterward and has provided arms and financial support for pro-Russia separatists in eastern Ukraine. 

The Trump administration has provided millions of dollars in defense funds to the Ukrainian government over the past year.