Putin's recent attack on Ukraine's ships at the Kerch Strait entrance into the Sea of Azov has had an international response that he did not quite expect.As reported by Ryan Browne,
"The US has begun making the necessary preparations to sail a warship into the Black Sea, a move that comes amid heightened tensions in the region following Russia's seizure of Ukrainian ships and detention of Ukrainian sailors.The US military has requested that the State Department notify Turkey of its possible plans to sail a warship into the Black Sea, three US officials tell CNN, a move they said is a response to Russia's actions against Ukraine in the Kerch Strait, which connects the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov." (CNN : 5 December, 2018) (my emphasis)
We now also have more NATO ships patrolling in the Black Sea.
As reported by Daniel McLaughlin,
"Mr Stoltenberg (left) [ Head of NATO] noted that ships under Nato command have spent 120 days in the Black Sea this year compared with 80 last year, as it continues to strengthen its presence in the region “in response to Russia’s aggressive actions” of recent years.“So there is already a lot of Nato in the Black Sea. And we will continue to assess our presence in the region,” he added." (The Irish Times : 4 Dec., 2018) (my emphasis)
Added to which,
The Defense Department said US, Canadian, German, French, United Kingdom, Romanian and Ukrainian observers were aboard the aircraft during the observation flight. This flight was requested by the Arms Control Directorate of the Ukrainian General Staff." (Ryan Browne : CNN : 6 December, 2018) (my emphasis)
In an ominous development, Matt Drake reports that,"Deadly Russian submarine rushed to border as WW3 tensions reach BREAKING POINT
The Kilo-class submarine, dubbed the "Black Hole" due to its ability to disappear suddenly, has been snapped leaving the major Black Sea port of Sevastopol." (Daily Star : 7 December, 2018) (my emphasis)
This was followed by that dyed-in-the-wool Soviet foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov,reacting negatively to a suggestion by German foreign minister, Heiko Mass, that the Osce monitoring mission should extend to the Sea of Azov.
As reported by Yuras Karmanau and Nataliya Vasilyeva, "[Lavrov (right) retorted by] saying that Russia “has no need” for any intermediaries or monitors in the area." (Independent IE (Associated Press) : 7 December, 2018) (my emphasis)
This rapid escalation of events in the Black Sea has now been further compounded by the fact that,
"Ukraine’s defence ministry has warned Russia it will soon send navy ships through the Kerch Strait where Russia fired on and seized three Ukrainian vessels two weeks ago.The announcement sets up another possible flashpoint in the long-simmering conflict between Russia and Ukraine that erupted in 2014 with Russia’s annexation of the Crimean peninsula ...." (Breaking News (Press Association) : 7 December,2018) (my emphasis)
Let us recall that just before he was elected president of Russia, Putin boasted about his nuclear arsenal.
In an interview (March, 2018) with Megyn Kelly, just before he was once more given the keys to the Kremlin, Putin stated that,
"We have two reasons that would force us to respond using our nuclear weapons.
- The first is a nuclear attack against us, or
- An attack against the Russian Federation using conventional weapons, but in this case, if it's a very threat to the existence of the Russian State
Does Putin now view the sending of NATO and US warships to the Black Sea, and the conducting of an "extraordinary flight" Thursday under the Open Skies treaty "to reaffirm US commitment to Ukraine" amid Russia-Ukraine tensions, a very threat to the existence of the Russian State?
Putin's finger is now hovering over his nuclear button.
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