Russia: No plans to base ships in Med

The Russian government has made no decision to keep warships in the Mediterranean permanently, an official with Russia's Navy Command said Friday. The official told RIA Novosti that individual ships from the Black Sea Fleet will be sent to the Mediterranean. "It's too early to speak about the permanent presence of a naval flotilla in the Mediterranean," he said. "There's no need for it so far." Ten Russian warships and support vessels from the northern, Baltic and Black Sea fleets are currently in the Mediterranean. Russian officials say they are there to participate in naval exercises scheduled for early August and will then return to their home stations. Earlier this week, the Navy denied news stories that the ships had been dispatched because of the Syrian uprising. Russia has supported the government of President Bashar Assad by vetoing sanctions proposed in the U.N. Security Council.