Kremlin: NATO Warship Activity In The Black Sea Is A Concern For President Putin

United States missile destroyer USS Porter (DDG-78) in the Black Sea. (Source: US Navy Photo via USNI.org)

JAKARTA - The activity of NATO warships in the Black Sea is of concern to Russian President Vladimir Putin, as well as a reason to increase vigilance, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

"This really concerns him and he has talked about this," Peskov told reporters in response to a question about how President Putin feels about US warships in the Black Sea region, citing TASS November 11.

United States warships are present in the Black Sea region not far from the Russian border, in order to take part in a multinational exercise organized by the United States European Command (EUCOM) based in Germany.

Peskov said there are regular contacts between the militaries of the two countries aimed at preventing conflict.

"However, this activity near the Russian border calls for a higher degree of deterrence," as the head of state and defense minister previously said, Peskov said.

Earlier, the Russian Defense Ministry said a number of US Navy ships had arrived for multinational exercises in the Black Sea region, which is held by the United States European Command.

According to the ministry, ships such as the USS Porter, a guided-missile destroyer, USNS John Lenthall, a refilling tanker, and the USS Mount Whitney, a command ship, were in the area.

The Defense Ministry said US forces were conducting unscheduled activities and forming a multinational armed forces group near the Russian border.

In this regard, the ministry said the action was a destabilizing factor for the region and was aimed at the military development of the Ukrainian territory. The Russian armed forces are monitoring the situation, he said.

To note, in addition to warships, NATO warplanes also often pass near the border of the two countries. Not infrequently, Russia has to send its fighter jets to ensure there are no airspace violations.

Most recently, an E-8C reconnaissance aircraft belonging to the United States military that took off from the USAF's Ramstein Air Base in Germany was seen just 35 kilometers from the Russian border, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

"A US E-8C aircraft that took off from Ramstein Air Base in Germany continued to circle over the northwestern, central, and northeastern parts of the Black Sea for five hours 13 minutes at altitudes ranging from 7.000 to 10.000 meters as far as 35 kilometers from the Russian border," reads the statement.