The flagship of the U.S. Navy’s Mediterranean fleet has delivered 17 tons of humanitarian aid to a strategic Georgian port _ and Russian troops have been watching every move.

The delivery of aid Saturday by the USS Mount Whitney to the city of Poti is the latest in a series of aid shipments that have demonstrated U.S. support for Georgia and have angered Russia.

U.S. Naval officers say a Russian warship trailed the American ship across the Black Sea. They also say Russian military forces onshore were keeping a close eye on the Mount Whitney from a position just 3 miles away.

The ship’s commanding officer, Capt. Owen Honors, told AP: “They’re clearly watching us very, very closely, and I think they’ll be very happy when we leave.”