US Naval Forces Europe Commander Adm. Robert Burke on Tuesday accused Russia of weaponizing the entire area of the Crimean peninsula and alleged that Moscow may be preparing to deploy nuclear arms there
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 02nd February, 2021) US Naval Forces Europe Commander Adm. Robert Burke on Tuesday accused Russia of weaponizing the entire area of the Crimean peninsula and alleged that Moscow may be preparing to deploy nuclear arms there.
"The Black Sea is another one where we see an increasingly aggressive Russia. Since the illegal annexation of Crimea, they have weaponized this entire area and recent news are that Russia may be preparing to deploy nuclear weapons to occupied Crimea," Burke said during an online event hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies and the US Naval Institute.
Crimea, a Russian enclave, was transferred to Ukraine in 1954 by the then-Soviet Communist Party leader Nikita Khrushchev. In 2014, 96 percent of the residents of Crimea voted in a referendum in favor of rejoining Russia.
Ukraine and the majority of Western countries have refused to recognize the results of the referendum. Russia has insisted that the referendum was conducted in full compliance with international law and that it expressed in the highest democratic forum the will of the Crimean people to become part of Russia again.
Burke said that both US and NATO fleets operate in the Black Sea "as often as we can."
"To the extent we can we are present there... On average about 120 days per year for US warships and about 240 if you count allies and US together," Burke said.
The deployment of warships in the Black Sea seeks to ensure "peace through presence," Burke added.
The United States and its allies have accused Russia of militarizing Crimea in the past as well and raised the issue at the United Nations in December 2019. The Crimean parliament responded by proposing a UN mission to visit Crimea to stop the spread of misinformation. Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said then Crimea is Russia's sovereign territory and Moscow can do whatever it needs to ensure its security within the boundaries set by international law.
