Introduction
In November 2018, the Russian Navy fired on and seized three Ukrainian ships when they were passing through the Kerch Strait. Already frustrated by the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014, Ukraine declared martial law and raised the possibility of ‘full-scale war’ with Russia1 while Moscow exacerbated the issue by refusing to release twenty-four sailors from the ships despite calls from Western countries. One of the most serious reactions came from the American Congress as some respected senators recommended military action against Russia. “Putin is somebody that respects strength and territory. Words don’t mean much to him. The action does, so I think we need to do more,” said Republican Congressman John Barrasso, who has a seat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.2 Military commanders were also in favor of a show of strength as the guided-missile destroyer USS Donald Cook was sent to Odesa, Ukraine’s Black Sea port, to show solidarity.3 The fact that more serious actions did not occur was mainly due to Trump’s isolationism. Although his advisers recommended applying new sanctions against Russia or increasing the American naval presence in the Black Sea, what Trump did at most was to state that he did not like what happened and to cancel a meeting with Putin at the G20 Forum in Argentina, September, 2018.4
