The USA will allocate an additional 10m dollars to further boost the Ukrainian Navy after the Kerch Strait incident, the Department of State has said on its website.
"In response to Russia’s dangerous escalation and unjustified 25 November attack on three Ukrainian naval vessels near the Kerch Strait, the Department of State, subject to Congressional approval, will provide an additional $10 million in Foreign Military Financing to further build Ukraine’s naval capabilities," it said.
The Department of State went on: "We do so in solidarity with Lithuania and the United Kingdom, also planning to increase their security assistance to Ukraine. The United States calls on Russia to immediately return to Ukraine the seized vessels and detained Ukrainian crews, to keep the Kerch Strait and the Sea of Azov open to ships transiting to and from Ukrainian ports, and to respect Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders, extending to its territorial waters."
On 25 November, Russia attacked three Ukrainian vessels in international waters off the Kerch Strait and captured their crews, including three wounded ones. It later placed them in custody in Moscow at least until 25 January 2019.