US flies F-22 fighter jets to Romania in a show of strength against Russia as tensions run high
F-22 Raptor fighter jets landed at the Mihail Kogalniceanu air base Monday
Obama promised in 2014 to bolster defenses of NATO’s eastern members
Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 and backed pro-Russian forces in eastern Ukraine, leaving neighboring countries worried
Last week, Russia accused US of intimidation for sailing guided missile destroyer USS Cook near Baltic border
Secretary of State John Kerry said the Navy ship could have opened fire on the Russian military jets that buzzed around it
DailyMail.com
25 April 2016
Two highly advanced US fighter jets flew to Romania on Monday in a show of strength to deter Russia’s intervention in Ukraine.
The F-22 Raptor fighter jets with sophisticated sensors allowing the pilot to track, identify, shoot and kill air-to-air threats before being detected landed at the Mihail Kogalniceanu air base in southeast Romania.
President Barack Obama promised in 2014 to bolster the defenses of NATO’s eastern members, unnerved by Russia’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea and the Kremlin’s backing for pro-Russian forces in eastern Ukraine.
Russia-backed separatists have been fighting government troops in Ukraine since April 2014, leaving at least 9,100 dead.
The conflict has left many neighboring countries in Central and Eastern Europe jittery about Russia’s intentions in the region.
U.S. Ambassador Hans G. Klemm blamed ‘the aggression by Russia’ for bringing ‘so much instability to this part of the world over the past two to three years’.
‘We’re here today to demonstrate our capability to take the F-22 anywhere needed in NATO or across Europe. We want to … actually fly the aircraft and train with our NATO allies,’ said Squadron commander Daniel Lehoski.
The Rest…HERE
