US strike group deployed after Russian drill ventures near Hawaii | World | News


Unconfirmed satellite imagery from June 19 shows around 20 Russian warships, submarines and support vessels and around the same number of fighter jets took part in the drill within spitting distance of the US state. Russia’s defence ministry said the military war games took place around 300 miles away from the island chain.

So far, no Russian ships or aircraft have entered the US Air Defence Identification Zone.

Captain Mike Kafka, a spokesman for the US Indo-Pacific Command reassured the public that the Russian vessels were being watched.

He told CBS: “US Indo-Pacific Command is monitoring the Russian vessels operating in international waters in the Western Pacific.

“We operate in accordance with international law of the sea and in the air to ensure that all nations can do the same without fear or contest and in order to secure a free and open Indo-Pacific.

“As Russia operates within the region, it is expected to do so in accordance with international law.”

On June 17, the US Navy confirmed the deployment of the USS Carl Vinson and the USS Dewey.

The most recent military drills are the largest of their kind since the end of the Cold War.

Admiral Viktor Kravchenko, Former chief of the General Staff of the Russian Navy, said there had been “no comparable” war games since 1991.

READ MORE: Nexit fury after new report shows damning Dutch economy reality

The pair, who met in Geneva on June 16, discussed a range of issues such as the recent cyber-attacks on US infrastructure and recent tensions with Ukraine.

Mr Putin described the talks as “constructive” and said both sides had pledged to return ambassadors after they were withdrawn in a political tit-for-tat battle earlier this year.



Source link