U.S. to bring another warship to the Black Sea

The Pentagon will send another warship to the Black Sea this week, US Navy Rear Admiral John Kirby, a Pentagon spokesman, announced on Tuesday, May 20. USS Vella Gulf, a cruiser, will enter the Black Sea later this week as part of a series of U.S. military moves designed to reassure European allies of an American commitment to their security amid tensions over Ukraine, according to Washington Post. USS Vella Gulf (CG-72) is an American Ticonderoga class Aegis guided missile cruiser. This is the third American ship to come to the Black Sea since the start of the conflict in Ukraine. The USS Donald Cook desroyer and the USS Taylor frigate were also stationed here in the last three months to contribute to regional maritime security, conduct bilateral and multilateral training missions, and to support NATO operations throughout the region. Kirby says that the U.S. has seen no evidence that Russia has begun to withdraw troops from the Ukraine border area as it had previously announced. There are still tens of thousands of Russian soldiers amassed at the Ukrainian border. President Vladimir Putin ordered them to retreat on Monday. The withdrawal, if confirmed, would ease fears that the Kremlin was positioned to invade eastern Ukraine. Andrei Chirileasa, andrei@romania-insider.com