Russian jets buzzing a U.S. military ship and planes in the Baltics are escalating tension between the two nations, the chief of naval operations said Monday.
“My hope is that we can stop this sort of activity,” Adm. John M. Richardson told reporters at the Pentagon.
“I don’t think the Russians are trying to provoke an incident. I think they’re trying to send a signal,” he said. “I think it’s pretty clear that they are wanting to let us know that they see that we are up there in the Baltic.”
The Baltic countries regained their independence in the early 1990s after nearly five decades under Soviet occupation.
The Defense Department said a Russian SU-27 conducted a barrel roll Friday over a U.S. Air Force RC-135 that was flying a reconnaissance mission above the Baltic Sea. In mid-April, a Russian jet flew about 50 feet from the wing tip of a U.S. aircraft. Also in April, two Russian jets flew close to the USS Donald Cook in the Baltic Sea.
Richardson said the actions increase the chance of a “tactical miscalculation,” but that if an incident were to occur, the U.S. would tamp down any rise in tensions between the two countries.
“We look for sort of a normalization there,” he said.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov last week defended the actions of Russian warplanes that buzzed the USS Donald Cook, saying the pilots decided to take a look at the U.S. Navy destroyer “from a safe distance.” The planes were less than 100 feet away from the deck of the ship, traveling at hundreds of miles per hour.
Secretary of State John Kerry condemned the Russian actions and said the Navy ship could have opened fire.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
Dislike the title. Russia sees the push by the US/NATO to their doorstep as aggression. Russia wanted to be our ally in 1991 after the fall of the Soviet Union but the U.S. didn’t respond. The sooner Trump gets in office the better. Out with the Neocons and their nation ‘building’, regime changing, saber rattling. Trump will have a more realistic foreign policy where tension with Russia will be lessened and they will work together to destroy ISIS, the real enemy of the West.
The surrounding of Russia´s borders with US rocket installations earns a defensive response from Russia. Which is happening.
The fraudulent charge, that Russia is aggressing against the US, reflects the Israeli and US war mongers. Igniting a war with Russia will serve the New World Order´s plan to remove 2/3 of the earth´s inhabitants.
Are humans furthering such nonsense ?
You apparently are miss guided in your statement. Russia is doing this because Putin is aware of the fact that Odumbo is a looser and has no idea what to do. Just take a good look at what Odumbo has done to our Country.
Are you a real person? Do you live in the US? You certainly seem to be anti-American and pro-Russian. From your name you appear to be from Pakistan and from your face you appear to be from some comic strip.
What and who is the NWO? I assume it is socialism and islam is the mother of all socialism. Socialism is where govt is god. Provides everything for everybody but they fail to mention that someone other then a real God controls and operates the govt. Or how they are going to pay for everything. And those in charge always say “Let it be me”. decide what is good for everyone. Infidels, those of the wrong religion, and/or party need not apply. Or an outsider. Islam even has a name for the king of the world. The caliphate. We in America have sure been lulled into political slumber over the past 50 or so years. We have the best form of govt known to man with freedoms but our elected royalty seems to want to just give it away without thinking about the consequences of allowing, encouraging sharia law or other forms of socialism. There is no known form of govt that is perfect. Do you suppose that is why God Himself never set up a govt? Jesus only started a church, not a govt. In the OT Israel has a series of kings. Some of them were models for Obama? Kings of self interest instead of keeping mosaic law? Govt in general really doesn’t have a very savory track record since most have been and still are tyrannical. Concentration of govt power. No separation of govt power into three equal branches. Even here the pols seems to have been hard at work running the three branches through the blender of PC turning govt into a glob of PC. Elected officials do not walk on water, do not have more compassion, more concern for the poor, the disadvantaged, the minorities and are really nothing more then govt employees that get their jobs differently then those that apply showing their qualifications. A necessary component of an elected govt employee needs to be they consider themselves public servants, not rulers. Rulers inherit or seize their office. Here in recent years they seem to think they can buy their job.
hear,hear Terry.
The NWO is better known as the NAU. Look it up. Ted Cruz wife is involved in the NAU. You will really be surprised as to what the NAU is.
AND YET, ANOTHER “LEADER” OF A COUNTRY, SO FULL OF HIMSELF! AND BRAIN DEAD!
Cold War 2 this time around with Russia & China on US vs other way from 1945-1991