MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia called the United States an adversary on Tuesday, telling US warships to stay far away from Crimea “for their own good,” calling their deployment in the Black Sea a provocation intended to defeat Russia. nerves.
“The United States is our opponent and is doing everything it can to undermine Russia’s position on the world stage,” Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said, according to Russian news agencies.
“We don’t see any other elements in their approach. Those are our conclusions, ”they quoted him. The comment was a sharp break from the usual Moscow language, which in the past often refers to the United States as “a partner”.
Moscow annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, and two US warships will arrive in the Black Sea this week amid an escalation of fighting in eastern Ukraine, where government forces have fought against Russian-backed separatists in a conflict Kiev says 14,000. killed people.
Additional reporting by Maxim Rodionov; Editing by Jon Boyle