Moscow, Apr 13 (EFE) .- Russia has transferred 15 ships from the Caspian Sea to the Black Sea amid a new escalation of tensions with the United States, which reported the dispatch of two warships to the area in a show of support for Kiev given the increase in the Russian military presence on the border with Ukraine.
According to a military statement, the movement of the fifteen vessels, including three gunboats and eight landing craft, is part of a ‘routine’ procedure to review the capabilities of the Russian Armed Forces after the end of the winter season.
The United States communicated last Friday to Turkey through diplomatic channels that it will send two warships to the Black Sea in accordance with the Montreux Treaty (1936), which gives Turkey control of the Bosphorus Strait.
US vessels will remain in the area until May 4, according to the Washington communication.
The US also continues to send reconnaissance planes to international airspace over the Black Sea and last Wednesday two US bombings carried out missions in the Aegean Sea.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Riabkov warned the US today against increasing its presence in the Black Sea “for its own good.”
‘We warn the US to stay away from Crimea and our Black Sea coast. That will be for their own good, ‘said the diplomat, quoted by the TASS agency.
Riabkov called the sending of US ships to the region a “provocation”, aimed at “testing” Russia.
“But they are not going to get anything,” said the deputy minister.
He added that US policy increases the risk of “incidents” in the area and stressed that Washington’s maneuvers take place “thousands of kilometers” from the deployment points of its naval forces. EFE
– – .
