美国有线新闻 CNN 美国在爱沙尼亚部署战机 向俄罗斯示威（在线收听）

美国在爱沙尼亚部署战机 向俄罗斯示威

AZUZ: Quote, "An action that threatens our interests, our security." That's what Russia says about the deployment of some U.S. fighter jets to the nation of Estonia.

Located on the eastern part of the Baltic Sea, the country is a member of NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It's an alliance of European countries and the U.S. And an American official says the deployment of jet was planned after Russia took over Crimea, formerly part of Ukraine, in 2014.

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: America's newest weapon, the F-35, in the skies over Eastern Europe, right where confrontations with Russia frequently happen.

CNN was given exclusive access to the U.S. stealth combat jet's first ever forward deployment. Training with allied air forces is central experience for the crews, a pilot tells me.

BRYAN BLACKBURN, U.S. AIR FORCE: We're continuing to forward deploy and bolster our native allies. And so, it's just our cooperation and to bolster the NATO alliance.

PLEITGEN: We rode along on a tanker plane refueling the F-35 as they transited to Estonia — a country on the border with Russia and worried about Moscow's aggressive posture in recent years.

With the deployment of the F-35, the U.S. is sending a very clear message both to Russia but also to its partner nations, that it's willing to put its newest and most advanced asset into this area to make sure it's allies are safe.

Russia's air force is increasingly flying planes like the nuclear capable TU-95 bomber around this area. NATO jets often scrambling to intercept them.

President Trump has only recently stopped calling the NATO alliance obsolete. Now, the F-35 deployment, another welcome sign of American commitment, Estonia's defense minister tells me.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is very important to send this message, that this is the border of NATO, this is the eastern border of our values that is we are ready to protect them.

PLEITGEN: As part of this deployment, the F-35 crews get to know this contested airspace and practice cooperation with other NATO air forces. As tensions with Moscow show no sign of easing, this plane could become a staple of NATO's eastern fringe.