US warship operates in Black Sea in first instance since Russian invasion of Ukraine

A United States warship, a Destroyer named USS Nitze, was seen to be operating in the Black Sea. This is the closest a US warship has been to Russia since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began. Nitze operates as part of the George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group.

The ship entered the region and visited Turkey on February 3rd, which was confirmed on the Twitter account of the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet. Several days later, the ship also visited Piraeus in Greece. The last American warship to enter the Black Sea region did so in December of 2021.

Notably, The United States has recently issued warnings to Turkey about Turkish exports to Russia. The exports include chemicals, microchips and other products that can be used in Moscow’s war effort in Ukraine.

Turkey has also been blocking Finland and Sweden from joining NATO, which some have said would benefit Russia in its invasion of Ukraine.