MOSCOW, April 9 (RIA Novosti) – The US Navy’s deployment of the guided-missile destroyer USS Donald Cook to the Black Sea is not a threat to Russian security, but rather an element of psychological pressure, a Russian military source told RIA Novosti Wednesday.
"This is clearly just a demonstration to show Russia to what extent Americans support the Ukrainian government. Of course, the warship will not enter Russian territorial waters. It is equipped with missiles though, so all Ukrainian and Western media outlets will say the USS Donald Cook demonstrates the US military presence in the Black Sea,” the source said.
The deployment of warships in the Black Sea that do not belong to the fleet of a country with maritime waters in the region are limited in duration by international agreement, the source underlined.
The US Navy destroyer Donald Cook is scheduled to enter the Black Sea on Thursday and apparently has no plans to make any port calls, the source told RIA Novosti.
The Donald Cook will be the second US warship to enter the Black Sea recently. Last week, the White House said the guided-missile destroyer USS Truxton would extend its deployment in the sea.
Moscow has already noted that the US warships have exceeded the length of stay permissible under an international convention governing the presence of naval vessels in the region, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said during a joint press conference with Kazakhstan's foreign minister last Thursday.
Relations between Russia and the West dropped to their lowest level since the end of the Cold War after Crimea held a referendum to secede from Ukraine and join Russia last month.
Moscow insists the referendum in Crimea was fully compliant with international law, and has reaffirmed its obligation to protect the Russian-speaking population of the peninsula.
Commenting on the Western behavior, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said last month that Western leaders are out of touch with reality, instead being led by morbid thoughts of punitive action.
