Russian Air Force planes over neutral Pacific Ocean waters cannot be called 'challenge' to USA

The flights of planes of the Russian Air Force over neutral waters of the Pacific Ocean cannot be called "a challenge" to the United States, a high-ranking official of the Russian Defense Ministry told ITAR-TASS on Tuesday, commenting on a statement by US Pacific Air Forces Commander General Herbert J. Carlisle regarding intensified flights of Russia’s long-range aviation planes over the Pacific in connection with the developments in Ukraine, TASS reports.


"First, the United States over the Bering Strait factually borders on the Russian Federation. Therefore, to assess flights of Russian AF planes over the neutral Pacific waters as some kind of "challenge" to the United States is at least strange. The more so that the intensity of the American reconnaissance aviation flights near Russia’s eastern borders has never subsided since the end of the cold war period," the source said.

"Second, linking scheduled flights of Russia’s warplanes in the eastern part of the Pacific to the developments in Ukraine can be only caused by poor knowledge of geography," the Russian defense official stressed.
[indian.ruvr.ru]
6/5/14
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Related:

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