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Russia urges US, NATO to critically assess risks regarding Black Sea drills, says diplomat

They conduct the so-called training activities on a regular basis but in fact, they stage provocations, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov pointed out

MOSCOW, November 11. /TASS/. Moscow is urging Washington and NATO to critically assess the risks related to the United States' military activities in the Black Sea, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told TASS on Thursday.

"They conduct their so-called training activities on a regular basis. In fact, they stage provocations," he pointed out. "We have repeatedly called on our US and NATO colleagues to critically assess related risks but they stubbornly continue to pursue the same course, testing our will and determination to protect our interests and egging Kiev on its worst policies," Ryabkov added.

According to the senior Russian diplomat, as far as Kiev’s political course is concerned, "[their] cynicism is off the charts since they are increasingly disregarding the basic principles for resolving the situation in the country's southeast." "As a result, the region’s conflict potential is mounting but we are using restraint," Ryabkov emphasized. The Russian Defense Ministry earlier issued a statement saying that Washington sought to set up a multinational group of armed forces in close proximity of the Russian border. The ministry pointed out that US warships had arrived in the Black Sea region to take part in multinational drills led by the United States European Command.

The Russian Defense Ministry emphasized that the United States' unexpected activities, particularly aimed at using Ukraine's territory for military purposes, constituted a regional instability factor. The Defense Ministry noted that Russia's Armed Forces were unremittingly monitoring the situation and keeping a close eye on the developments.