UK PM Johnson says British warship was acting legally

FILE PHOTO: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson takes questions in Parliament, in London, Britain June 23, 2021. UK Parliament/Jessica Taylor/Handout via REUTERS

LONDON (Reuters) -British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Thursday a British warship was acting legally in international waters after a confrontation with the Russian military off the coast of Russia-annexed Crimea.

"I think it was wholly appropriate to use international waters," Johnson told reporters. "The important point is that we don't recognise the Russian annexation of Crimea.

"These are Ukrainian waters and it was entirely right to use them to go from A to B."

Johnson disagreed that relations with Russia were at a historic low.

"I can remember times in my own lifetime when things have been far worse," he said. "All we're doing is upholding the rule of law."

(Reporting by Michael Holden; Editing by Kate Holton)