«Specific message to Moscow»: US considering sending warships to Black Sea

The US is considering sending warships to the Black Sea in the coming weeks to show its support to Ukraine.

This was announced on Thursday by CNN TV channel, citing a source in the country’s Defense Ministry.

According to him, the US Navy regularly sends its fleet there, but such a step at the moment would mean a “special message” for the Russian Federation. He also noted that the American leadership is preparing to take such measures in connection with the allegations of a build-up of the Russian forces near the borders of Ukraine.

A CNN source emphasized that at the moment the United States does not consider the build-up of Russian forces as measures to prepare for offensive actions. However, according to him, the Pentagon believes that if the situation changes, the United States “will be ready for retaliatory” actions.

In addition, a CNN source noted that the United States, in accordance with the provisions of the Montreux Convention on the status of the Bosporus and Dardanelles, must warn Turkey about it 14 days before the expected entry of its ships into the Black Sea. The broadcaster has no information as to whether there was a warning from Washington.

In recent days, Western countries have repeatedly expressed concern about the statements of the Ukrainian military about the build-up of Russian forces along the border with Ukraine. As the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov stated earlier, the movement of Russian troops through the territory of Russia should not bother other states, since it does not threaten them in any way. He also stressed that what is happening in the Donbass is an internal Ukrainian conflict, in which Russian troops have never participated.

The situation in Donbass became more complicated at the end of February; shootings were recorded in the region almost every day, including with the use of mortars and grenade launchers. The parties blamed each other for aggravating the situation. On March 30, Russian President Vladimir Putin held a video conference with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Among other things, he expressed concern over the destabilization of the situation in Donbass by Kiev.