MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 19th October, 2021) United States Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan discussed freedom of navigation with the command of the US Naval Forces Europe in Italy's Naples in light of an incident in the Sea of Japan, involving Russian and US vessels, US Embassy spokesman Jason Rebholz said on Monday.
Last week Moscow said that US Navy destroyer Chafee (DDG 90) approached Russia's territorial waters and "attempted to cross the state border" and that Russia's Admiral Tributs vessel warned the foreign ship via international communication channel about the inadmissibility of such actions.
"Amb Sullivan in #Naples: Today I met with leaders from U.S. Naval Forces Europe to discuss the need to ensure all countries respect freedom of navigation worldwide," Rebholz tweeted.
Following the incident, The Russian Ministry of Defense summoned US military attache over the attempt to breach the Russian maritime border. The ministry had pointed to the unprofessional actions of the crew of the US ship, which grossly violated the International Rules for Preventing Collisions at Sea and the provisions of the 1972 Russian-US intergovernmental agreement on the prevention of incidents on the high seas and in the airspace above it.
The US Navy's Pacific Fleet responded by saying that Moscow's statement on the incident was false and the US ship was acting in accordance with international law.
