A senior Russian diplomat has warned NATO against building up its naval forces in the Black Sea. Foreign Ministry official Andrei Kelin said the move would undermine regional security and damage Moscow's already frayed ties with the alliance.

Earlier this month Russian media reported that a US naval destroyer had entered the waters on a routine deployment, where Russia's Black Sea Fleet is based. The USS Porter has recently been fitted with a new missile system.

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Russia doesn't want to be forced into a confrontation with the West. The Defense Ministry accused NATO of fanning anti-Russian hysteria.