Ukraine and the United States today launched joint military exercises in the Black Sea, despite Russia’s objections, Reuters reported. The “Sea Breeze 2021” maneuvers will involve the military from 32 countries, the US Embassy in Kiev said. About 5,000 troops, 32 ships and 40 planes will take part in the exercise.
A ship of the British Royal Navy crossed the Bosphorus and entered the Black Sea, local media reported. This comes amid strained relations between London and Moscow over the activities of NATO ships off the coast of Crimea.
“The forces and means of the Black Sea Fleet are implementing a set of measures to control the actions of NATO ships and other countries participating in the Sea Breeze 2021 exercise, which began on June 28, 2021 in the northwestern part of the Black Sea,” the report said. RIA Novosti.
Earlier, Defense Ministry spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov said NATO would supply Ukraine with modern weapons and ammunition under the guise of the exercise. According to him, all this will be aimed at Ukrainian troops and nationalist formations.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, for her part, noted that the main goal of joint maneuvers between Kiev and the North Atlantic Alliance is to destabilize the situation on Russia’s borders and transfer weapons to Ukraine.
Last week, Russia said it fired a warning shot at the British destroyer Defender because it had entered its territorial waters. Britain has denied the information and commented that the ship sailed through Ukrainian waters in accordance with international maritime law.
Also today Russia and China have continued the Treaty for good neighborliness, friendship and cooperation, Chinese state television announced after talks held by videoconference between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, TASS reported.
The heads of state issued a joint declaration and announced the extension of the agreement, Chinese television notes.
“The world is entering an era of turmoil and radical change“Against the background of humanity’s development facing many crises, close cooperation between China and Russia inspires positive energy in the international community, setting a benchmark for a new model of international relations,” Xin Jinping was quoted as saying by Xinhua.
“The Treaty of Good Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation has established the concept of a generational friendship that meets the fundamental interests of both countries. This is in line with the trends of the era, aimed at peace and development, and is also a practical and vivid example of of a new type of international relations “, added Si.
“I am confident that, guided by the spirit of the treaty, no matter how many obstacles and pits we encounter along the way, China and Russia will do their best and continue to move forward with confidence,” he said.
“At the moment, following the letter and spirit of the treaty, we have managed to bring Russian-Chinese relations to an unprecedented level, to make them a model for interstate cooperation in the 21st century,” said Russian President Putin.
The Russian head of state pointed out that an unparalleled international practice had been created multilayer mechanism for bilateral coordination, including regular contacts between leaders and meetings between prime ministers, five intergovernmental commissions at the level of deputy prime ministers, formats for dialogue between parliaments and regional organizations. “All this makes it possible to effectively resolve the issues arising in the course of cooperation between the two countries and to plan joint work in the future,” Putin stressed.
“Despite the global financial crises and the current coronavirus pandemic (trade) is growing. And now we will see a clear positive trend. In January-April, growth exceeded 22 percent, ie it can be expected that by the end of the year will reach record levels in trade, “said the Russian president.
“It is important that it is fixed the lack of mutual territorial claims and the determination of both sides to turn their common border into an area of eternal peace and friendship. “We have done a lot for this, including work on demarcating the border, we have been working on it for years – we and our teams – and we have achieved the result we need, acceptable to both China and Russia,” Putin said in a video conference.
The Russian-Chinese Treaty of Good Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation was signed on July 16, 2001 by the Presidents of Russia and China, Vladimir Putin and Jiang Zemin, with a term of 20 years, TASS recalls.
The DPA notes that Russia’s and China’s interests in the UN Security Council often coincide, and relations between the two countries with the United States are strained. From NATO’s point of view, Moscow and Beijing are the biggest security threats in the Euro-Atlantic area.
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