MOSCOW, November 11. /TASS/. In a phone conversation with Acting German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Russian President Vladimir Putin noted the destabilizing provocative activity of US and NATO forces in the Black Sea, the Kremlin press service reported on Thursday.
"The destabilizing and dangerous nature of the provocative activity of the US and a number of other NATO countries in the Black Sea was noted," the message reads.
This was the second phone conversation between Putin and Merkel in the past two days.
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.
It was stressed that these are unscheduled moves by the US military. 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.