For the first time in 8 years, a US Navy ship makes a port call in Cambodia, a top Chinese ally

SIHANOUKVILLE, Cambodia (AP) — A U.S. Navy warship arrived Monday in Cambodia, the first such visit in eight years to a nation that is China’s close ally in Southeast Asia. Cambodia's government has suggested the port call reflects an upgrade in often-strained relations.

The USS Savannah docked at the port of Sihanoukville on the Gulf of Thailand for a five-day visit. The Savannah, classed as a Littoral Combat Ship, carries a crew of 103.

“It’s great to be back, returning U.S. presence to here after eight years,” the ship’s commanding officer, Daniel A. Sledz, said in brief remarks to reporters. He was given a bouquet of flowers by a Cambodian officer and shook hands with a line of her colleagues.

The United States for many years has had rocky relations with Cambodia, criticizing its government for political repression and human rights violations. There is particular concern about its close ties with China, which Washington fears may get exclusive access to a Cambodian naval base on the Gulf of Thailand, not far from where the Savannah docked.

Recently, there seem to have been moves to patch up relations.

Cambodia’s Ministry of National Defense said last week that the visit was scheduled after a U.S. request for a port call, and would “strengthen and expand the bonds of friendship as well as promote bilateral cooperation” between the two nations.

Two days before that, Cambodia’s foreign ministry noted “positive momentum of bilateral ties and cooperation” and “the reinvigoration of military-to-military cooperation” between Cambodia and the U.S.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin visited Cambodia in early June, where he held talks with Prime Minister Hun Manet and other senior officials. He also met with Cambodian alumni of U.S. military training programs. Hun Manet himself is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

The U.S. Defense Department said at the time that Austin's discussions concerned “opportunities to strengthen the U.S.-Cambodia bilateral defense relationship in support of regional peace and security,” and other matters.

But Washington remains concerned that the upgrading of Cambodia’s Ream Naval Base near Sihanoukville will serve Beijing’s strategic interests in the region.

The U.S. and others suggest China’s navy is establishing a permanent base at Ream, which would give it easier access to the Malacca Strait, a critical shipping route between the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean.

Controversy over the Chinese activity at Ream initially arose in 2019 when The Wall Street Journal reported that an early draft of an agreement seen by U.S. officials would allow China 30-year use of the base, where it would be able to post military personnel, store weapons and berth warships.

Cambodia’s government has denied such an agreement or any intention to grant China special privileges at the base, though Beijing has funded its expansion.

In September, Cambodia’s Defense Ministry said that China is giving its navy two warships of the type it has had docked there for months. China is set to hand over two newly built Type 56 corvettes — smaller vessels typically used for coastal patrols — next year at the earliest, after Cambodia requested China’s support.

Cambodia’s defense ministry said the Savannah’s port call will include “a working meeting with the commander of the Ream Naval Base,” as well as meetings with provincial officials and “a friendship sports competition between the crews of the U.S. Navy and the Cambodian Navy.”

Cambodian Navy Capt. Mean Savoeun, deputy commander of the Ream Naval Base, was among those dockside welcoming the Savannah to Sihanoukville. He said he was happy to see the good relationship between Cambodia and the U.S., especially their navies, and believed the visit will bring closer diplomatic cooperation.

Daniel A. Sledz, center, commanding officer of USS Savannah, meets with Cambodian Deputy Commander of Ream Naval Base, Capt. Mean Savoeun, right, as it arrives for a port call at Sihanoukville port, Cambodia, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

Cambodian naval troop stand for welcoming USS Savannah as it arrives for a port call at Sihanoukville port, Cambodia, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

Daniel A. Sledz, left, commanding officer of USS Savannah, receives a bouquet of flowers from Cambodian naval staff members as it arrives for a port call at Sihanoukville port, Cambodia, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

Daniel A. Sledz, left, commanding officer of USS Savannah, shakes hands with Cambodian Deputy Commander of Ream Naval Base, Capt. Mean Savoeun, front right, as it arrives for a port call at Sihanoukville port, Cambodia, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

Cambodian port members tie USS Savannah as it arrives for a port call at Sihanoukville port, Cambodia, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

FILE - This photo released by the official Facebook page of the Ream Naval Base, shows a part of Cambodian Ream Naval Base in Sihanoukville, southwest of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Sunday, Dec. 3, 2023. (Ream Naval Base's Facebook page via AP, File)

FILE - In this photo released by the official Facebook page of the Ream Naval Base, Cambodian navy crew stand on a patrol boat at the Ream Naval Base in Sihanoukville, southwest of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Sunday, Dec. 3, 2023. (Ream Naval Base's Facebook page via AP, File)

Daniel A. Sledz, left, commanding officer of USS Savannah, shakes hands with a Cambodian naval staff member as it arrives for a port call at Sihanoukville port, Cambodia, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

A Cambodian flag flutters as USS Savannah arrives for a port call at Sihanoukville port, Cambodia, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

Daniel A. Sledz, left, commanding officer of USS Savannah, talks with a Cambodian naval staff member as it arrives for a port call at Sihanoukville port, Cambodia, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

Cambodian naval troop stand for welcoming USS Savannah as it arrives for a port call at Sihanoukville port, Cambodia, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

Russian air defenses shot down 347 Ukrainian drones overnight, Russia’s Defense Ministry said Thursday, in what appeared to be a major attack after Moscow spurned Kyiv’s ceasefire earlier in the week and tension mounted over Russia's upcoming Victory Day celebrations.

Incoming drones were destroyed over 20 Russian regions, including Moscow, according to the Defense Ministry, in Ukraine’s second-biggest aerial attack since Russia’s all-out invasion more than four years ago. The largest was last March when it launched 389 drones.

The attack came ahead of Russia’s most important secular holiday, when it marks the anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II. Russian authorities have declared a unilateral ceasefire in Ukraine for Friday and Saturday.

Ukraine had responded to that with its own suspension of hostilities from midnight Tuesday. But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Moscow disregarded the goodwill gesture and launched fresh attacks.

“Russia has not stopped any type of its military activity. Unfortunately, it has not stopped. Ukraine will act symmetrically,” Zelenskyy said in his regular evening video address Wednesday.

Tension has grown as Russia’s Victory Day celebrations approach and U.S.-led peace efforts gain no traction.

All mobile internet access and text messaging services will be shut down in the Russian capital on May 9, state media reported Thursday, citing the country’s Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media.

Also, a traditional parade in Moscow won’t feature the usual tanks, missiles and other military equipment for the first time in nearly two decades.

Russian authorities say they are concerned about possible Ukrainian attacks, as Kyiv has expanded its long-range drone and missile capabilities.

The Russian Defense Ministry cited the “current operational situation” as a reason for excluding military equipment. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov blamed Ukraine for the scaled-back celebrations and tighter security in Moscow, accusing Kyiv of “terrorist activity,” in an apparent reference to the drone strikes.

The restrictions will include websites on the Russian government’s so-called “white list,” a group of state-approved online services that are kept available during the country’s increasingly common connectivity blackouts.

Home internet and Wi-Fi will be unaffected, officials said.

Ukraine’s air defense shot down 92 of the 102 drones Russia launched overnight, the military said.

Russia maintains a significant advantage in drone numbers, regularly deploying hundreds in a single attack.

Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

Tourists walk past The Triumphal Arch, the monument of the Patriotic War of 1812 and victory over Napoleon, decorated for the celebrations of the 81st anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany during World War II, in Moscow, on Wednesday, May 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

People walk in front of Victory Day poster walking from closed for entry Red Square decorated for the celebrations of the 81st anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany during World War II, in Moscow, on Wednesday, May 6, 2026, backdropped by the Spasskaya Tower on the right. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)