Putin considers US exercises in the Black Sea a "provocation"

During a telephone conversation with his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, Russian President Vladimir Putin considered the military exercises conducted by Washington and NATO in the Black Sea a "provocation", according to the Kremlin.

In a statement, the Kremlin said that during the call, Putin spoke about "the provocative nature of the large-scale exercises conducted by the United States and some of its allies in the Black Sea, which escalates tension between Russia and NATO."

The Russian president appeared to refer to the participation of several US military ships in exercises in the Black Sea, which he described last week as a "serious challenge".

His recent comments come against the backdrop of rising tensions over the conflict in Ukraine.

The situation in this region has been very tense since Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea in 2014. Kiev has been locked in a conflict for seven years against pro-Moscow separatists in the eastern part of its territory.

Tensions have risen in recent days, with the United States and the European Union expressing concern about the recent build-up of Russian forces on Ukraine's Black Sea border.

During a phone call with his Russian counterpart on Monday, the French president expressed his "great concern" and his country's readiness to "defend Ukraine's territorial integrity," according to the French presidency.

For his part, Putin accused Kiev of pursuing a "destructive policy," noting that "Ukraine has recently used drones in the conflict zone," according to the Kremlin.

The conflict in Ukraine has killed more than 13,000 people since 2014.

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