MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia on Tuesday called the United States an adversary and told US warships to stay away from Crimea “for their own good”, calling their deployment in the Black Sea a provocation designed to kill Russian to test nerves.
“The United States is our adversary and is doing everything in its power to undermine Russia’s position on the world stage,” said Russian news agencies Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov.
‘We see no other elements in their approach. These are our conclusions, ”they quote him. The remark was a sharp break with the common language from Moscow, which in the past often referred to the United States as a ‘partner’.
Moscow annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and two US warships would arrive in the Black Sea this week amid an increase in fighting in eastern Ukraine, where government forces backed by Russian separatists in a conflict, which according to Kyiv 14,000 people killed, fought.
Additional reporting by Maxim Rodionov; Edited by Jon Boyle