Russian President Vladimir Putin called the military exercises carried out by Washington and NATO in the Black Sea "a
serious challenge
" for Russia, in an interview broadcast on Saturday.
“
The United States and its NATO allies are carrying out unplanned exercises in the Black Sea.
With not only a fairly powerful naval group, but also aviation, including strategic aviation.
It is a serious challenge for us
”, declared the Russian president in an interview with Russian television accessible on the site of the Kremlin.
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The Russian president appeared to be referring to the participation of several US military ships in exercises in the Black Sea that Moscow said this week "to
monitor
".
Vladimir Putin added that the Russian Defense Ministry had "
a proposal to hold its own unscheduled exercises in these same waters, but I think this is inappropriate and there is no need to escalate. more the situation
”.
The Black Sea has become a hotspot for relations between Moscow and the West, especially since Russia's 2014 annexation of the Crimean peninsula, located in these waters.
Several NATO members - Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania - are also bordering the Black Sea, where this Western military alliance regularly conducts exercises and patrols.
Russian troop movements near Ukraine
The Russian president's statements come as Washington expressed concern this week about Russian troop movements near Ukraine and warned Moscow of an invasion.
"
We are very concerned about some of the unusual troop movements we are seeing at Ukraine's borders
," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Friday.
“
Russia would be making a big mistake if it repeated what it did in 2014,
” he warned, referring to the Russian annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula to Crimea seven years ago.
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The Pentagon, he called on Russia "
to demonstrate clear about his intentions
," but said that the Russian military activity near the border with Ukraine was "
unusual
" because of the "
size
" and "
the magnitude
”of movements. The European Union also expressed its concern on Friday over Russian military movements. The spokesperson for European diplomacy said the 27 EU member states were talking to the United States and the United Kingdom on this matter.
Putin, for his part, accused Ukraine of using Turkish-made drones against pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine, which Paris and Berlin had criticized.
"
Looks like we just can't let our guard down,
" Putin said, "
well, let them know we are not letting our guard down
."
Ukraine has been at odds with pro-Russian separatists in its eastern territory since 2014, after Russia annexed Crimea.
This conflict has left more than 13,000 dead.
