Moscow – Russia warned on Tuesday in the United States against the sending of warships to the Black Sea, and urged US forces to stay away from the annexed Crimean peninsula “for its own good” as situation on the border of Ukraine caused growing concern in the West. The US Secretary of State, meeting in Brussels with Ukrainian and NATO officials, made it clear that the Biden administration, along with its allies in Europe, has its back to Ukraine and considers Russia’s ongoing military buildup in the “very provocative” region.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry said on Friday that Washington had informed Ankara that two U.S. warships would pass through Turkish waters this week to deploy in the Black Sea. The deployment would come amid a significant escalation of the conflict in eastern Ukraine between Russian-backed separatists and Ukrainian forces, which they have American and European support.
Hostilities first appeared in 2014 when Russia unilaterally annexed Crimea – a peninsula that sinks into the Black Sea and hosts a Russian naval base, far from Ukraine, which condemns the Western world and a series of sanctions.
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Russian news agencies on Tuesday cited Russia’s deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov, who described the deployment of U.S. warships in the Black Sea as a provocation designed to test Russia’s nerves.
“There is absolutely nothing that American ships do near our shores,” Ryabkov said, warning that there was a very high risk of unspecified incidents if U.S. military hardware was positioned in the Black Sea. .
“We warn the United States that it will be better for them to stay away from Crimea and our Black Sea coast,” Ryabkov said. “It will be for your own good.”
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby declined on Friday during a regular press conference to confirm the Turkish government’s statement that they were sending American warships to the Black Sea. He noted that the U.S. “routinely” operates in the Black Sea, but said he would not “talk to operations.”
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The current escalation has fostered strained relations between the United States and Russia. Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned Russia against aggressive actions in an interview broadcast over the weekend, saying any aggression in Ukraine would have consequences.
Ryabkov responded on Tuesday, accusing the Russian “adversary” of trying to undermine Russia’s position on the international stage. He reiterated Russia’s willingness to defend the interests of its citizens and ethnic Russian-speakers in eastern Ukraine.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia was preparing for the US or its global partners to impose new sanctions on Moscow.
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Meanwhile, Russia has continued to move forces towards Crimea and the region along its border with Ukraine. The Defense Ministry reported on Tuesday that 15 warships and Caspian Flotilla ships had been sent to the Black Sea as part of previously announced military exercises.
Ukraine said earlier this week that Russia had already massacred more than 40,000 troops along its border and at least 40,000 more in Crimea. Russia says the accumulation of troops is part of exercises and has stressed that its forces will go wherever they want, whenever they want on Russian territory.
“Very provocative action”
This week there are senior US officials in Europe, including Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Blinken. Austin on Tuesday announced a stop in Germany that the U.S. would deploy an additional 500 troops to that country.
When asked if the measure was meant to be a message to Russia, he said it was “a signal to NATO” of the United States’ commitment to the transatlantic alliance and firm commitment to Germany. Under President Donald Trump, Washington said it would withdraw thousands of American forces that have been stationed in Germany for decades. This decision was suspended by the Biden administration and now the force will grow.
Meanwhile, Blinken was in Brussels, meeting with NATO partners, and met separately with his Ukrainian counterpart to discuss the confrontation with Russia.
“The United States is firmly behind Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and I am here to reaffirm it with the Foreign Minister today,” Blinken said. “This is particularly important at a time when, unfortunately, Russia is taking very provocative measures with regard to Ukraine. We are now seeing the largest concentration of Russian forces on the Ukrainian border since 2014. This is a major concern. only in Ukraine, but in the United States and, in fact, in many of our allies and partners. ”
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The Foreign Minister of Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba, sitting in front of him, said that the Russian accumulation “took place not only on the border of Ukraine, but on the border of the democratic world. For thousands of miles north and east of our border with Russia, there is no democracy. So this is the struggle that is going on between democracies and authoritarianism, and in this struggle the support of the United States is absolutely crucial and deeply appreciated. “
Kuleba also thanked NATO and said the warnings already conveyed to Moscow through diplomatic channels “will be supported by actions that make it very clear to Russia that the price of a new aggression against Ukraine will be too heavy to bear “.
He said Ukrainian and US delegations in Brussels, and NATO allies in general, would continue to discuss ways to ensure stability along his country’s tense border with Russia.
Although no NATO deployment has been confirmed, Russia’s Defense Ministry said the alliance planned to place 40,000 more soldiers and 15,000 pieces of military equipment near Russian territory. He did not go into detail, but said that “in response to the military activity of the alliance threatening Russia, we have taken the appropriate measures.”
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Tuesday earlier that he was “seriously concerned” about the deployment of additional Russian forces on the Ukrainian border.
“Russia is trying to re-establish some kind of sphere of influence where they are trying to decide what the neighbors can do,” Stoltenberg said.
Tucker Real of CBSNews.com contributed to this report.