Russian President Vladimir Putin stated on Saturday that NATO drills near Russia’s border are a dangerous challenge because the bloc is using its strategic air forces.
“Now, the United States and its NATO allies are conducting unscheduled, I want to underline it, unscheduled drills in the waters of the Black Sea. And not only a powerful ship group has been formed, but also aviation, strategic aviation, is being used in the drills”, Putin said.
“I should say that our Defense Ministry also proposed to hold its own unplanned exercises in the same area. But I believe that this is not appropriate and there is no need to further escalate the situation there”, Putin told the TV channel Russia 24.
The Russian strongman’s statements come after the US and its allies launched drills near Russian waters. Previously, the United States Sixth Fleet’s flagship USS Mount Whitney entered the Black Sea, and Russia registered multiple reconnaissance flights by NATO aircraft near the Crimea.
Moscow has repeatedly slammed NATO’s activities in the Black Sea as a provocation to spur tensions and pursue a policy of containment of Russia. Putin recently called the drills “destabilizing” and “dangerous”, while Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stressed that by sending their vessels to the area near the Russian border Washington is trying to push coastal countries toward confrontational policies.
Source: Agencies
