Russia is warning the US to stay out for its ‘own good’ as the deadlock in Ukraine grows

Moscow – Russia warned the United States on Tuesday against sending warships to the Black Sea and urged US forces to stay away from the annexed Crimean peninsula “for their own good” if the situation along the border with Ukraine caused growing concern in the West. The US Secretary of State made it clear during a meeting with Ukrainian and NATO officials in Brussels that the Biden government, along with its allies in Europe, is supporting and considering the back of Ukraine Russia’s ongoing military build-up in the region “very provocative.”

The Turkish Foreign Ministry said on Friday that Washington had informed Ankara that two US warships would pass through Turkish waters this week to be deployed in the Black Sea. The deployment was to take place amid a significant escalation of the conflict in Eastern Ukraine between Russia-backed separatists and the Ukrainian Armed Forces, which have American and European support

Hostilities first flared up in 2014 then Russia has unilaterally annexed Crimea – a peninsula jutting into the Black Sea and home to a Russian naval base – away from Ukraine, drawing condemnation from the Western world and a series of sanctions.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov was quoted by Russian news agencies on Tuesday for calling the deployment of US warships in the Black Sea a provocation designed to test Russia’s nerves.

“There is absolutely nothing for US ships to do near our shores,” Ryabkov said, warning that there would be a very high risk of unspecified incidents if US military hardware were placed in the Black Sea.

“We warn the United States that it is better for them to stay far away from the Crimea and our Black Sea coast,” said Ryabkov. “It will be for their own good.”

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby declined at a regular press conference Friday to confirm the Turkish government’s statement that US warships were being sent to the Black Sea. He noted that the US operates “routinely” in the Black Sea, but said he would not “speak to operations.”

The current escalation has put pressure on already tense US-Russian relations. Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned Russia of aggressive actions in an interview broadcast last weekend, saying that any aggression in Ukraine would have consequences.

Ryabkov responded Tuesday, accusing the Russian “opponent” of undermining Russia’s position on the international stage. He reiterated Russia’s readiness to defend the interests of its citizens and of ethnic Russian speakers in Eastern Ukraine.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia was preparing in case new sanctions were to be imposed on Moscow by the US or its global partners.

Meanwhile, Russia has continued to move troops to both Crimea and the region along the border with Ukraine. The Defense Ministry reported on Tuesday that 15 warships and ships from the Caspian Flotilla had been sent to the Black Sea as part of previously announced military exercises.

Ukraine said earlier this week that Russia had already gathered more than 40,000 troops along the border, and at least 40,000 more in Crimea. Russia says the troop build-up is part of exercises and has emphasized that its troops will go where they want, when they want on Russian soil.

“Very provocative action”

Top US officials are in Europe this week, including Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Blinken. Austin announced on Tuesday during a stop in Germany that the US would send an additional 500 troops to that country.

When asked if the move was intended as a message to Russia, he said it was “a sign to NATO” of the US commitment to the transatlantic alliance and of its firm commitment to Germany. Under President Donald Trump, Washington said it would withdraw thousands of US troops stationed in Germany for decades. That decision was shelved by the Biden government and now the armed forces will grow.

Blinken, meanwhile, was in Brussels to meet with NATO partners, and separately met his Ukrainian counterpart to discuss the standoff with Russia.

“The United States is firmly behind Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and I am hereby confirming that with the Secretary of State today,” Blinken said. “This is especially important at a time when we unfortunately see Russia taking very provocative action when it comes to Ukraine. We now see the greatest concentration of Russian troops on the border with Ukraine since 2014. That is not only a major concern. Ukraine, but to the United States and indeed to many of our allies and partners. ”

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba sat across from him, saying that the Russian build-up took place “not only along the border of Ukraine, but also along the border of the democratic world. Thousands of miles to the north and east of our border with Russia, there is no democracy. So this is the struggle that is taking place between democracies and authoritarianism, and in this struggle, the support of the United States is absolutely crucial and much appreciated. “

Kuleba also thanked NATO, saying that warnings already delivered to Moscow through diplomatic channels “will be supported by actions that make it very clear to Russia that the price of further aggression against Ukraine will be too high to bear”.

He said the Ukrainian and US delegations in Brussels, and NATO allies more generally, will continue to discuss ways to ensure stability along his country’s tense border with Russia.

While no NATO commitment has been confirmed, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed that the alliance planned to place 40,000 additional troops and 15,000 pieces of military equipment close to Russian territory. He did not go further, saying that “in response to the military activity of the alliance threatening Russia, we have taken appropriate action.”

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said earlier on Tuesday that he was “deeply concerned” about Russia’s deployment of additional troops at the Ukrainian border.

“Russia is now trying to restore a kind of sphere of influence in which they try to decide what the neighbors can do,” said Stoltenberg.

Tucker Reals from CBSNews.com contributed to this report.