The Ukrainian army announced plans on Saturday to conduct drills with its NATO allies as there are concerns about Russian troop movements on the border with the smaller country.
More than 1,000 troops from at least five NATO member states will take part in the training later this year, reports The Hill.
The exercises, described on the Facebook page of the General Staff of the Army of Ukraine, aim to support the “territorial integrity” of Ukraine in light of “aggression from one of the hostile neighbors” – presumably Russia .
The announcement comes less than a day after President Biden, in his first official call with President Volodymyr Zelensky, pledged his “steadfast support” to Ukraine – and while U.S. defense officials are increasingly concerned about an apparent build-up of Russian military power in the Crimea.
Fresh violence in the Donbass, where fighting has flared up since Russia annexed the Ukrainian Crimean peninsula in 2014, has escalated tensions between neighboring countries.
“We have discussed the situation in Donbass in detail,” Zelensky said on Friday. “President Biden has assured me that Ukraine will never rest alone against Russia’s aggression.”
