A Russian spy ship has been spotted near the U.S. Navy submarine base in Groton, Connecticut.
The ship is in international waters about 30 miles from the Connecticut coast. U.S. Congressman Joe Courtney, a Democrat, discussed the sighting on the House floor Wednesday.
“The folks in Connecticut woke up this morning with that news about the spy ship off the coast. As you can imagine, it’s created a lot of consternation and questions,” said Courtney.
Though he says he is confident that Navy leadership will monitor the situation with vigilance, Courtney urged the Trump administration to start treating Russian President Vladimir Putin as a threat.
“We need to just disavow ourselves of any naive assumptions that somehow the Putin government is somehow something that we can trust and shows any regard for international norms or international law,” he said.
Lawmakers from Connecticut and Rhode Island have called for an investigation into the Trump administration’s ties with Russia, following revelations that National Security Advisor Mike Flynn discussed sanctions with a Russian diplomat before Trump took office. Flynn resigned from his post this week.
Trump administration officials have denied any questionable relationships with Russia.