© Yevhen Maloletka / APA Ukrainian serviceman stands on board a Coast Guard ship in the Sea of Azov.
"I don't see circumstances in the foreseeable future where such a meeting could take place until the ships and the crews are released," Bolton told reporters on December 13.
Russia seized three Ukrainian Navy ships on November 25 and arrested 24 sailors in the Kerch Strait that links the Black Sea with the Sea of Azov.
Moscow alleged that the vessels had illegally entered Russian territorial waters near the Crimea region, which Russia occupied and annexed from Ukraine in 2014.
Ukraine and most UN member states do not recognize the annexation.
NATO has pledged support for Ukraine's navy, with Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg saying on December 13 that "Russia must immediately release the sailors and ships they seized and allow freedom of navigation including free access to Ukrainian ports in the Sea of Azov."
Comment: Stoltenberg is a tool. Russia will never allow "free access" through Russian territorial waters. The fact is, the Ukrainians already have access - there are protocols in place which allow the Ukrainian navy access to their ports, protocols which Ukraine was fine to comply with until the Kerch provocation. This is a non-issue. The Ukrainians illegally crossed the Russian border, breaking Russian law. They were lawfully arrested. End of story.
"This is part of Russia's pattern of destabilizing behavior," Stoltenberg added. "We strongly condemn Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea."
Comment: Crimea river.
Putin and Trump briefly discussed the matter on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Argentina on December 1, the Kremlin said.
On the eve of the summit, Trump announced he would not hold a formal one-on-one meeting with Putin, citing the Kerch Strait incident.
Comment: Says the guy whose nation illegally kidnaps, incarcerates and tortures foreigners in total contravention of international law. Guantanamo Bay, Bolton.