Russia tracks US destroyer in Black Sea amid NATO drills
Moscow, Oct 30: Russia's Black Sea Fleet is tracking the movement of US guided-missile destroyer USS Porter that entered the Black Sea on Saturday, said the Russian Defense Ministry. The US Sixth Fleet tweeted on Friday that USS Porter began its northbound transit to the Black Sea to operate with North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies and partners in the region, Xinhua news agency reported.
The fleet headquartered in Italy's Naples, and Naval Striking and Support Forces of NATO staff began operations in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea on Friday to demonstrate "NATO's commitment to maintaining freedom of navigation in international waters." The exercises came as Russia terminated all official dialogue with NATO.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko last week voiced concerns over NATO's military build-up near Russian borders and its plan to turn the Black Sea region into a confrontation zone, which is "an extremely dangerous path fraught with risks of military incidents."