On Wednesday (14), Russia and Ukraine renewed their saber rattling and held simultaneous military drills. Foreign and defense ministers of NATO member countries then urgently discussed the build-up of Russian troops near the Ukrainian border, with the United States, Germany and other countries calling on Russia to withdraw its troops from the Ukrainian border.
NATO is alarmed by the massive build-up of Russian troops near Ukraine and in the Crimean Republic, where two U.S. warships are due to arrive in the Black Sea this week.
The arrival of the U.S. warships in the Black Sea comes after the Russian Navy began military exercises in the Black Sea on Wednesday, which involved firing on surface and air targets.
Russia said the U.S. Navy’s move was a very unfriendly provocation, warning Washington to stay away from Crimea and its Black Sea coast, and claimed the buildup was a three-week rapid military exercise to test combat readiness.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian armed forces rehearsed repelling tank and infantry attacks near the border of Crimea, which is attached to Russia. Speaking in the European Parliament, Ukrainian Defense Minister Andrii Taran said Russia is preparing to deploy nuclear weapons in Crimea, but he did not provide evidence for his claim.
Citing the latest intelligence from Kiev, Taran said Russia is amassing 110,000 troops in 56 battalion-level tactical groups along the Ukrainian border. He warned that Moscow could attack Ukraine to secure the water supply of the peninsula it annexed. He also said he did not rule out the possibility of a “substantial military provocation” by Russian forces in Crimea in 2021.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and U.S. President Joe Biden called on Russia to withdraw its troops from the Ukrainian border to ease tensions in the region, a German government spokesman said Wednesday. Merkel and Biden discussed the latest developments in eastern Ukraine during a phone call and called on Russia not to cause further escalation of tensions.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Biden had spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday to highlight the consequences of Russia’s actions.
Turkish diplomatic sources said Wednesday that the U.S. has canceled plans to deploy two warships to the Black Sea.
Under the terms of the 1936 Montreux Convention, the U.S. must notify Turkey at least 15 days in advance before sending warships through the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles. The treaty allows foreign warships to stay in the Black Sea for 21 days.
Washington has not confirmed either the planned deployment of warships or the cancellation of the deployment.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan called for an end to the “worrisome” developments in eastern Ukraine.
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