Ukraine’s armed forces on Saturday mentioned joint army drills with NATO troops would start in a number of months’ time, a step that might stoke tensions with Moscow which has expressed its opposition to such a transfer.
NATO voiced concern on Thursday over what it mentioned was a giant Russian army build-up close to japanese Ukraine after Russia warned {that a} critical escalation within the battle in Ukraine’s Donbass area may “destroy” Ukraine.
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The Kremlin on Friday mentioned that any deployment of NATO troops to Ukraine would result in additional tensions close to Russia’s borders and drive Moscow to take further measures to make sure its personal safety.
Ukrainian troops have battled Russian-backed separatist forces within the japanese Donbass area in a battle Kyiv estimates has killed 14,000 folks since 2014.
The drills will contain greater than 1,000 army personnel from no less than 5 NATO member states and will likely be held in a number of months, the Ukrainian armed forces mentioned in an announcement on Fb on Saturday.
“Particularly, defensive actions will likely be labored out, adopted by an offensive in an effort to restore the state border and territorial integrity of a state that has been subjected to aggression by one of many hostile neighboring international locations,” the assertion mentioned.
It didn’t specify precisely when the drills would happen.
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