US Navy's Second Fleet Unable to Deter Russia in North Atlantic - Russian Lawmaker

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th August, 2018) US Navy's Second Fleet can not deter Russia in the North Atlantic, as the Russian fleet is equipped with the latest technology and will receive new submarine and surface ships in the near future, deputy chair of the Russian parliament's lower houses defense committee Yuri Shvytkin told Sputnik on Friday.

Earlier in the day, Commander of US Fleet Forces Command Adm. Chris Grady, speaking at a solemn ceremony on Friday at the naval base in Norfolk, Virginia, said that the United States had officially reactivated its Second Fleet to deter Russia in the Northern Atlantic.

"This can not be a deterrent, it can only be a push to the arms race, while the United States itself does not want to drift into the arms race, and neither do we," Shvytkin told Sputnik.

The lawmaker also noted that such statements and actions on the part of Washington indicate an attempt to lobby for their military-industrial complex.

"At the same time, [US military] power is of rather virtual nature, because it is not capable of exerting any pressure, it can not affect the possible counteraction to our naval forces. Today, our navy is equipped with the latest technology ... At the same time, a number of vessels of both submarine and surface fleet will join in the near future ... The United States needs to calm down and deal with internal problems," the lawmaker concluded.

Earlier this year, the Navy announced the reestablishment of the Second Fleet, saying it would operate on the East Coast of the United States and in the Northern Atlantic.

Russia has repeatedly criticized NATOs buildup and exercises near its borders, saying such actions were provocative, and could lead to regional and global destabilization.