The United States has canceled the deployment of two warships to the Black Sea, as was said by Turkish diplomatic sources and reported by Reuters.
U.S. officials said that Turkey may have misunderstood the initial notification and the deployment was never confirmed. According to the U.S. officials, the United States frequently notifies Turkey of potential access to the Black Sea. However, a request does not necessarily mean its ships will pass through but rather ensures that if they choose to, they already have the required approval.
Ahead of the notification about U.S. warships, Russia’s navy on Wednesday began a drill in the Black Sea that rehearsed firing at surface and air targets. Russia warned Washington to stay far away from Crimea and its Black Sea coast. In addition, Russia says the build-up is a three-week snap military drill to test combat readiness in response to what it calls threatening behavior from NATO. It has said the exercise is due to wrap up within two weeks.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg called on Moscow on Tuesday to end its troop build-up.