Commander of the US 6th Fleet Vice Admiral Lisa Franchetti has commented on the USS Porter's arrival in the Black Sea.
According to a statement published in the newspaper Stars and Stripes, the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer was deployed to an area near Russia's borders in order to carry out routine operations, showing NATO allies and US partners in the region the country's "dedication to freedom of navigation".
Soon after the USS Porter entered the area, three ships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet began to escort the American vessel.