Socio-Economics History Blog

Socio-Economics History Blog

US Mulls Sending Warships Into Black Sea To Be “Ready To Respond” To Ukraine Crisis

by mosesman

  • US Mulls Sending Warships Into Black Sea To Be “Ready To Respond” To Ukraine Crisis
    by Tyler Durden, https://www.zerohedge.com/
    A US defense official has told CNN on Thursday that the Biden administration is seriously considering sending warships into the Black Sea amid reports that Russia is mustering forces near the border with Ukraine in response to a renewed uptick in fighting in nearby Donbas.
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    The warships could be deployed “in the next few weeks in a show of support for Ukraine,” the unnamed defense official described. And further, “The US Navy routinely operates in the Black Sea, but a deployment of warships now would send a specific message to Moscow that the US is closely watching, the official said,” according to the CNN report. 
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    Typically the US gives 14-days notice prior to sending warships into the Black Sea, according to a long established treaty with Turkey regarding use of the Bosporus to enter the waters. Importantly, the new CNN reporting comes two days after Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky personally urged NATO to immediately expand its Black Sea presence.
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    He had said in a phone call with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, “Such a permanent presence should be a powerful deterrent to Russia, which continues the large-scale militarization of the region and hinders merchant shipping,” the president’s press service indicated in a readout.
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    Despite a slew of international reports this week hyping threat of a Russian “offensive” in eastern Ukraine – based largely on Kiev officials loudly claiming as much – the Pentagon’s official assessment still appears to be that the Kremlin is not preparing for some kind of offensive move on Ukraine. 
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