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US warships in Black Sea act provocatively — Russian diplomat

Washington is setting up a multinational group of armed forces in close proximity to the Russian border

UNITED NATIONS, November 12. /TASS/. Warships of the United States are acting provocatively in the Black Sea, and it is becoming increasingly hard to prevent a direct clash day by day, Russian First Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Dmitry Polyansky has told reporters.

"And don't forget that the American warships are now in the Black Sea, acting very provocatively. So, every day it is very difficult to avoid direct clash in the Black Sea. And we warned our American colleagues that this is a mere provocation," he said.

Earlier, the Russian Defense Ministry informed that the US warships have arrived to take part in multinational drills that the US European Command is holding in the Black Sea region. According to the ministry, the US Navy guided missile destroyer USS Porter, the tanker USNS John Lenthall and the command ship USS Mount Whitney are deployed there. Two US B-1B strategic bombers flew above Black Sea waters just 100 kilometers away from the Russian border.

The Russian Defense Ministry stressed that these moves by the US military were unscheduled. The ministry noted that Washington is setting up a multinational group of armed forces in close proximity to the Russian border. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, such moves are a destabilizing factor in the region and, in particular, pursue the goal of the military exploitation of Ukrainian territory. The Russian armed forces are continuously and closely following the situation, the ministry assured.