ISTANBUL (Sputnik) — Dupuy de Lome has come to replace the US Navy destroyer USS Ross, which earlier in the day left the Black Sea after completing the joint exercises with the Ukrainian Navy.
"French reconnaissance ship Dupuy de Lome has passed through the straits of the Bosporus and Dardanelles and entered the Black Sea," the source said.
The US Navy Arleigh Burke-class USS Ross (DDG-71) guided-missile destroyer entered the sea on May 21 in support of the so-called Operation Atlantic Resolve, designed to reassure its NATO allies of Washington's commitment to collective security in the region.
NATO has been boosting its military presence, including holding military drills, in Eastern Europe and in the Black Sea since 2014, citing security concerns over Russia's alleged participation in the armed conflict in Ukraine.
Moscow has repeatedly expressed concern over NATO's military buildup along its western borders, warning that the bloc's expansion undermines regional security.
