ISTANBUL: A US Navy destroyer crossed the Bosp­horus on Friday and entered the Black Sea as tensions simmer around Ukraine.

The crossing by the USS Laboon was reported as US President Joe Biden met Western leaders at the G7 summit in England.

“We are standing united to address Russia’s challenges to European security, starting with its aggression in Ukraine,” Biden wrote in The Washington Post before setting off on his first foreign trip.

The US periodically sends warships to the Black Sea region in a show of support for Ukraine, often drawing protests from Russia.

Washington had notified Turkey that it may be sending two warships through the Bosphorus in mid-April, when Russia had built up its military presence in along Ukraine’s border.

Published in Dawn, June 12th, 2021