WASHINGTON, Nov. 28 (Xinhua) -- The White House said on Wednesday that U.S. President Donald Trump had a phone conversation with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan over the recent Kerch Strait incident.
"The two leaders expressed deep concern about the incident in the Kerch Strait and the continued detainment of Ukraine's vessels and crew members," a White House statement said on Wednesday.
The statement added that Trump and Erdogan would meet at the upcoming Group of 20 (G20) summit in Argentina to discuss this incident and other important issues of mutual concern.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Monday that Ukrainian and Russian presidents should engage directly to resolve their recent confrontation.
White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said Tuesday that Trump will meet his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin during the upcoming G20 summit.
Trump, however, told the media on the same day that he would consider canceling his scheduled meeting with Putin due to the ongoing Ukraine-Russia confrontation near the Kerch Strait.
On Sunday, three Ukrainian naval ships attempting to sail through the Kerch Strait from the Black Sea to the Sea of Azov were attacked and seized by Russian forces, which believed that the ships breached the Russian border.
The Ukrainian Navy claimed that it had informed Russia in advance and called Russia's actions an "act of aggression."
Russia denied having received such report, saying that the ships ignored multiple warnings by the Russian border guards.
