Putin accuses US of involvement in UK warship incident
The British Royal Navy destroyer HMS Defender is moored before a ceremony marking the warship's arrival in the Black Sea port of Batumi, Georgia, on Jun 26, 2021. (File photo: Reuters/Vasil Gedenidze, British Embassy in Georgia handout)
MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday (Jun 30) accused Washington of involvement in an incident involving a British destroyer off the coast of Moscow-annexed Crimea.
Last week, Russia said that it fired warning shots to ward off the British navy's HMS Defender as it passed near the Crimean peninsula in the Black Sea in what it said was a violation of its territorial waters.
"This, of course, was a provocation -Â that is completely obvious," Putin said during his annual televised phone-in.
"It was complex and was carried out not only by the British, but also by the Americans."
As his evidence, Putin said that before the United Kingdom ship entered waters claimed by Russia last week, an "American strategic reconnaissance aircraft" had taken off from a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) military airfield in Greece. He did not provide any more details.
Britain has defended the ship's route, saying that the HMS Defender was making "an innocent passage through Ukrainian territorial waters in accordance with international law".
READ:Â Russian forces reportedly fire warning shots at British destroyer in Black Sea
READ:Â Russia says next time it may fire to hit intruding warships
Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and claims the waters around the peninsula as part of its territory. Most countries do not recognise the takeover and stand behind Ukraine's claims to the waters.
Putin said on Wednesday that "we on our territory fight for ourselves, for our future".
"Even if we sank that ship, the world wouldn't have been on the verge of World War III, because those who are doing this know that they couldn't be the winners in this war," he said.
Incidents involving Western aircraft and ships are not uncommon at Russia's borders, especially during heightened tensions with Washington, Brussels and London, but rarely result in open fire.
Earlier this month, Putin held his first in-person meeting with United States President Joe Biden at a summit in Geneva aimed at restoring relations with Washington that are at their lowest in years.
While both leaders spoke positively about their first in-person meeting, ties between Russia and the US remain strained.
