Earlier aerial activities by Moscow included flights by two Russian Tu-95 strategic bombers that circumnavigated the Pacific USA island of Guam twice, once in November and again in December.
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This visit is in conjunction with the bilateral training that Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group is conducting with the Republic of Korea Navy to strengthen the U.S.-Republic of Korea alliance and improve regional security.
In an emailed statement to CNN, Navy Cmdr.
Two Russian planes flew close to the USS Ronald Reagan, prompting the mobilisation of four FA-18s, spokesman Josh Earnest said on Thursday.
He said this kind of incident is not unprecedented.
“We have previously raised concerns about Russian military aircraft essentially carrying out incursions on the sovereignty of other countries”, Earnest said.
An encounter like Tuesday’s between USA and Russian forces is nothing new.
South Korean military aircraft first intercepted the Russian planes before the United States jets escorted them from the area. The Russian pilots even radioed and wished their USA counterparts that day.
Prior to that, in the war torn seas near Crimea, a Russian Su-24 was caught on video flying very close to USS Ross, a guided missile destroyer. All these incidents happened in global waters.
US-Russia relations have deteriorated, particularly over the conflicts in eastern Ukraine and Syria.
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Putin want to show Russian Federation is “still a global military power and a force to be reckoned with”, de Larrinaga said. While the US supports the rebels who are opposed to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Russian Federation has come out in open support of Assad.
