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by Staff Writers Washington (AFP) Sept 03, 2014
The United States will send about 200 troops to take part in a US-led annual exercise in Ukraine later this month, the Pentagon said Wednesday, in a show of solidarity with Kiev. The presence of 200 soldiers from the 173rd Airborne Brigade will mark the first deployment of US ground troops to Ukraine since the Kiev government's conflict with pro-Russia separatists erupted earlier this year. Dubbed "Rapid Trident," the yearly exercise was set for September 13-26 and will involve more than a dozen countries, including "approximately 200 personnel" from the US military, spokesman Colonel Steven Warren said. "It's a peacekeeping exercise," said Warren, and would focus in part on countering homemade bombs. The drill was due to be held in Yavoriv, about 40 miles (60 kilometers) from Lviv in western Ukraine. US naval forces also were due to take part in a separate maritime exercise starting next week in the Black Sea which will involve forces from Ukraine, Turkey, Georgia and Romania, officials said. Two vessels from a NATO maritime group will also participate. Washington is sending the USS Ross, a guided missile destroyer, to join the naval drill, dubbed "Sea Breeze," which runs from Monday to Wednesday. About 280 US sailors were due to take part. The aim of the exercise was "to improve interoperability while promoting regional stability and security" among allies and partners, spokeswoman Lieutenant Colonel Vanessa Hillman said. With Russia's intervention in Ukraine raising alarm in Eastern Europe and beyond, the United States has held a series of high-profile military exercises in the region in a bid to reassure anxious allies on NATO's eastern border. Ukraine, facing a separatist rebellion and suspected Russian military operations in its east, has asked for US military aid but Washington has declined so far to provide weapons to the Kiev government.
Romania gives green light to NATO fighter force "These planes will be part of the NATO integrated defence system alongside the Romanian air force," Traian Basescu said after a meeting of the country's defence council. "As many as 200 pilots, mechanics and maintenance personnel will be stationed on Romanian territory," he said. Basescu has urged Europe to take a stronger line with Russia over Ukraine, and called on NATO on Wednesday to reinforce its eastern flank in case the situation degenerated futher. "The presence of the Russian fleet in the Black Sea worries us," he said. Last week he called for the EU and NATO to supply weapons to Kiev to help the country fight pro-Russian insurgents in the east. The decision comes as the alliance begins a major meeting in Newport, Wales, on Thursday dominated by the conflict in Ukraine. With Kiev and the West accusing Russia of supporting the insurgency, Basescu has also called on NATO member states to "go beyond declarations of good intent" and pleaded for a "new level of sanctions". NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen has said that the 28-nation alliance will aim to approve a "readiness action plan" at the summit, which will see rotating troops and equipment deployed throughout Eastern Europe. The force -- which he says will be thousands-strong -- could be deployed within days to meet any perceived Russian military movements in the region.
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