Russian President Vladimir Putin stated in an interview broadcast on Sunday (November 14) that he rejected the proposal of the Ministry of Defense to conduct rapid Black Sea military exercises against NATO activities because he did not want to increase tensions in the region. situation.
Russia complains about the dangerous increase in the military activities of the United States and its allies in the Black Sea, the increase in Western spy aircraft activities, the increase in strategic bomber flights, and the presence of two U.S. warships.
Some activities have been carried out near Crimea, which is the Black Sea peninsula annexed by Russia from Ukraine in 2014, and Kiev hopes to take back the peninsula.
The worrisome Russian military build-up near Ukraine and the immigrant confrontation between Belarus, Russia’s close ally, and the European Union, described by US officials, have also caused tensions.
In a national television interview published on the Kremlin website scheduled to air later on Sunday, Putin stated that he did not want to increase tensions in the Black Sea region.
“I should say that our Ministry of Defense had proposed to hold our own rapid exercises in these waters. But I think it is meaningless and there is no need to further aggravate the tension there,” Putin said.
“Therefore, the Ministry of Defense restricts itself to escorting (NATO) jets and ships,” Putin told the Rossiya-1 channel.
The United States has stated that its warships in the Black Sea are to strengthen cooperation with NATO allies in the region.
Putin said: “The United States and its NATO allies are indeed conducting unplanned exercises. I want to emphasize that they are conducting unplanned exercises in the Black Sea waters.”
“…This is a serious challenge for us.”
