Russia Tells U.S. Warships to Stay Away for ‘Own Good’

Date: 13 April 2021 - 22:21

News ID: ۸۹۱۴۲

MOSCOW (Dispatches) -- Russia on Tuesday called the United States an adversary and told U.S. warships to stay well away from Crimea "for their own good”, calling their deployment in the Black Sea a provocation designed to test Russian nerves.
Crimea rejoined Russia in a referendum in 2014 and two U.S. warships are due to arrive in the Black Sea this week amid an escalation in fighting in eastern Ukraine, where government forces have battled pro-Russia separatists in a conflict Kyiv says has killed 14,000 people.
"The United States is our adversary and does everything it can to undermine Russia’s position on the world stage,” Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov was cited as saying by Russian news agencies.
"We do not see any other elements in their approach. Those are our conclusions,” the agencies quoted him as saying.
The comment suggests that the veneer of diplomatic niceties that the former Cold War enemies have generally sought to observe in recent decades is wearing thin.
Ryabkov’s remarks suggest Russia will in turn robustly push back against what it sees as unacceptable U.S. interference in its own backyard.
"We warn the United States that it will be better for them to stay far away from Crimea and our Black Sea coast. It will be for their own good,” said Ryabkov.
The West has cried foul over a build-up of Russian forces close to Ukraine’s eastern border and in Crimea, which NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Tuesday called on Moscow to unwind.
Russia has said it moves its forces around as it sees fit, including for defensive purposes, and has regularly accused NATO of destabilizing Europe by moving its military infrastructure closer to Russia’s borders.
Ryabkov was cited as shrugging off U.S. talk of consequences for any "aggressive” Russian actions and as saying that Moscow had studied U.S. tactics towards Russia and adapted accordingly.
U.S. military support to Kyiv was a serious challenge for Russia, he added, accusing Washington and NATO of turning Ukraine into a "powder keg” with increasing arms supplies.
"Any threat to us merely confirms our belief that our course is the right one,” Ryabkov was quoted as saying, warning U.S. warships in the Black Sea to keep their distance, given what he said was the high risk of unspecified incidents.
"There is absolutely nothing for American ships to be doing near our shores, this is purely a provocative action. Provocative in the direct sense of the word: they are testing our strength, playing on our nerves. They will not succeed,” Ryabkov said.