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Russia says the US is an “Adversary”

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Tuesday that the US is an “adversary” which works to “undermine Russia’s position on the world stage,” Reuters reports. Ryabkov made his statement while two US warships prepare to sail into the Black Sea this week, an event which Russia says is “provocative.”

While the US military has said only that it routinely sends vessels to the Black Sea region, this week’s arrival of warships comes amid an escalation of fighting between Ukrainian government forces and Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine.

“There is absolutely nothing for American ships to be doing near our shores, this is purely a provocative action,” Reuters reported Ryabkov as telling Russian news outlets. “Provocative in the direct sense of the word: they are testing our strength, playing on our nerves. They will not succeed. The United States is our adversary and does everything it can to undermine Russia’s position on the world stage,” Ryabkov reportedly said. “We do not see any other elements in their approach. Those are our conclusions.”

There has been considerable international concern over the recent build-up of Russian troops near Ukraine’s eastern border and Crimea; in 2014 Moscow annexed Crimea in a highly controversial move which resulted in the US, the EU and other major powers imposing sanctions on Russia.

On Tuesday, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg called on Moscow to withdraw its troops from this sensitive area. However, Russia has said it deploys troops as needed, including for defense purposes, Reuters reported.

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