President of Russia Vladimir Putin stated that the NATO exercises in the Black Sea and the flights of their bombers 20 km from the annexed by Russia Crimea “go beyond certain limits.” Putin said this, speaking at an expanded meeting of the collegium of the Russian Foreign Ministry, reports TASS.
“As for the Black Sea, the latter goes beyond certain limits: strategic bombers fly at a distance of 20 kilometers from our state border, they are known to carry very serious weapons,” Putin said.
Putin added that “of course, we will adequately respond to the military activity of NATO members along the perimeter of the Russian borders.”
15 November NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg statedthat the presence of the alliance in the Black Sea is defensive in nature.
Earlier it was reported that the President of Russia Vladimir Putin considers A “serious challenge” to the US exercise of its NATO allies in the Black Sea. Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia Sergey Lavrov considersthat NATO exercises in the Black Sea are due to “the desire of the United States and its allies to step up the policy of containing Russia.” In the Ministry of Defense of Russia called “provocation” the presence of American ships in the Black Sea.
V the US Embassy in Ukraine indicated that all ships have the right of innocent passage through foreign territorial waters, including the Black Sea.
Formerly the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmitry Kuleba pointed out the need for a greater NATO presence in the Black Sea after the situation with the Russian annexation of Crimea.
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