Wed Sep 3, 2014 11:27PM GMT
The Pentagon says 200 US troops will be deployed to Ukraine to take part in a military exercise in the country later this month.
This will be the first deployment of US ground troops to Ukraine since Kiev engaged in a bloody conflict with pro-Russians in the east earlier this year.
Pentagon spokesman Colonel Steven Warren confirmed that “approximately 200 personnel” from the US military will join exercise on September 13 to 26 in Yavoriv, about 60 kilometers (37 miles) from Lviv in western Ukraine.
The annual military exercise, dubbed the Rapid Trident, will include more than 1,000 military personnel from 15 countries.
Meanwhile, about 280 US naval forces were scheduled to hold a separate maritime war game with troops from Ukraine, Turkey, Georgia and Romania in the Black Sea next week.
The USS Ross, a guided missile destroyer, and two vessels from a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) maritime group will join the naval drill, dubbed the Sea Breeze.
Western powers and the Kiev government accuse Moscow of having a hand in the crisis in eastern Ukraine, which erupted when Kiev launched military operations in April to silence pro-Russia protests. Russia denies the accusation.
Latest From Military
‘NATO expansion plan to cost millions’
Clashes in east kill 15 Ukraine troops
US senators call for arming Ukraine
China hosts largest-ever military drills
Pro-Russians seize ground in E Ukraine
Uprooted Palestinian 
The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Blog!
No comments:
Post a Comment