An American warship was "aggressively approached" by a Russian Navy ship in the North Arabian Sea, the U.S. Navy said Friday, but Russia claims the U.S. ship broke international law to move into its path.
Navy Cmdr. Josh Frey, spokesman for U.S. 5th Fleet, said the USS Farragut was conducting routine operations Thursday and sounded five short blasts to warn the Russian ship of a possible collision. He said the USS Farragut, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, asked the Russian ship to change course and the ship initially refused but ultimately moved away.
Even though the Russian ship moved away, Frey said the delay in shifting course "increased the risk of collision."
In response, a statement from the Russian Defense Ministry said the U.S. ship "grossly violated the international rules for preventing collisions of ships at sea, having made a maneuver to cross its course."
The statement said the crew of the Russian warship acted professionally, and moved to prevent a collision with the U.S. ship.
© Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.