US sends 600 troops to Eastern Europe, warship USS Taylor enters Black Sea
US frigate USS Taylor (FFG 50) has entered the Black Sea, according to the US Navy, as the Pentagon announces plans to dispatch some 600 troops to Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia for military exercises. The US claims the ship’s entry is “to promote peace and stability in the region.” ● Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has previously stated that the US has been violating the Montreux Convention which restricts the number of US vessels operating in the Black Sea and sets a time limit of 21 days for each one. At the beginning of February, the USS Taylor was initially posted in the Black Sea. However, damages to the warship’s propeller assembly after running aground in the Black Sea caused a spike in tensions between the US and Russia after it caused the ship to exceed the time allotted to its stay by 11 days. French frigate Dupleix is expected to enter the Black Sea April 26-27, a military-diplomatic source told Itar-Tass. Once it arrives, the Black Sea will host three NATO vessels. The third one is French surveillance ship Dupuy de Lôme, which is expected to leave for the Mediterranean on April 30.