The Russian navy is conducting an exercise that is taking place 300 to 500 miles west of Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean.
In the naval exercise are participating surface ships, anti-submarine aircraft and long-range bombers.
Russian officials have stated that this is the largest Russian military exercise in the Pacific Ocean since the cold war.
The United States scrambled three F-22 stealth fighter jets from Hawaii on Sunday in an unscheduled flight in response to bomber flights. However, the bombers did not enter the Air Defense Identification Zone and were not intercepted.
Moreover, a U.S. carrier strike group is located around 200 miles east of Hawaii carrying out a strike group certification exercise. The strike group’s exercise was scheduled but moved closer to Hawaii in response to the Russian exercise.
The Russian exercise probably constitutes a message from Vladimir Putin to Joe Biden as it comes ahead of the two Presidents’ meeting. The Presidents of the two countries are going to meet in Geneva on Wednesday, June 16th.
This is the first meeting between the United States and Russia’s leaders since Joe Biden came to office.
