smh.com.au
April 1, 2014
Ukraine’s parliament on Tuesday approved a series of joint military
exercises with NATO countries that would put US troops in direct
proximity to Russian forces in the annexed Crimea peninsula.
“This is a good opportunity to develop our armed forces,” acting
defence minister Mykhailo Koval told Verkhovna Rada lawmakers ahead of
the 235-0 vote.
The decision came as NATO foreign ministers gathered in Brussels for a
two-day meeting dominated by concern over the recent buildup of Russian
forces near Crimea that US officials estimate had at one point reached
about 40,000 troops.
NATO has sought to reinforce its eastern frontier after Russia’s
takeover of Ukraine’s Black Sea peninsula and amid concerns about the
Kremlin’s emboldened foreign policy.
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