MOSCOW, Sept 10 (Askume) – Russian President Vladimir Putin warned the United States on Tuesday not to try to outwit Moscow in Asia, as Russian and Chinese warships carried out joint drills in Russia’s biggest naval exercise since the Soviet era.
Putin said the large-scale “Ocean 2024” strategic exercises will be held from the Mediterranean to the Pacific and will test the combat readiness of troops and the use of high-precision weapons, including promising new weapons.
This would also include lessons learned from Russia’s “special military operations” in Ukraine.
“We pay special attention to strengthening military cooperation with friendly countries,” he said in a televised speech to military officials at the launch of the exercise.
“This is especially important against the backdrop of growing geopolitical tensions in the world today. We see the United States trying to maintain its global military and political dominance at all costs.”
Putin said Russia must be ready for any developments and continue building up its navy, including its nuclear weapons, in what he called an arms race driven by Washington.
“Under the pretext of countering the so-called Russian threat and containing the People’s Republic of China, the United States and its satellite states are increasing their military presence near Russia’s western borders, in the Arctic and in the Asia-Pacific region,” he said.
“The United States and its allies have publicly announced plans to deploy short- and medium-range missiles in so-called forward areas.”
The United States says its alliances in the Pacific, such as the AUKUS partnership with the United Kingdom and Australia, are aimed at deepening military cooperation to promote regional stability. AUKUS last year announced a joint plan to provide nuclear-powered attack submarines to Australia from the early 2030s to counter China’s ambitions in the Indo-Pacific.
“The United States is trying to gain a solid military advantage through its aggressive actions, which will lead to the collapse of the existing security structure and balance of power in the Asia-Pacific region,” Putin said.
Navy commander Alexander Moiseyev told him that four Chinese ships and 15 aircraft were conducting exercises with Russian forces.
China’s official news agency Xinhua said on Monday that the move was aimed at “deepening the level of strategic coordination between the Chinese and Russian militaries and enhancing their ability to jointly respond to security threats.”
The exercises with China are part of a larger Russian exercise that will run until September 16 in the Pacific, Arctic Ocean, Mediterranean, Baltic and Caspian Sea.
Moiseyev told Putin it would involve more than 90,000 Russian troops, over 400 ships, 125 aircraft and more than 7,500 weapons.
The Russian military has been under heavy pressure on land and sea for nearly two and a half years as a result of the war in Ukraine. Despite being significantly outnumbered by the navy, the Ukrainian military managed to inflict devastating blows on Moscow’s Black Sea Fleet.
Yet Russia continues to conduct large-scale military exercises — including thousands of miles away in the Far East — to project power and build defense ties with partners, especially China.
