Ukrainian and American naval forces are taking part in joint maritime drills dubbed Sea Breeze 2014, which began on Monday in the northwestern part of the Black Sea and will last till September 10, reports GHN based on RT.
"Today in the north-west part of the Black Sea, we are beginning the joint Navy exercises of Ukraine and the US, known as ‘Sea Breeze 2014'. The exercises will continue until September 10. The aim is to set up safety measures in areas dangerous to ships," Colonel Andrey Lysenko, spokesman for Ukraine's National Security Council, told reporters as cited by AP.
The objective of the exercises is "an international operation on establishing and securing a maritime safety zone in a crisis area," the Ukrainian Defense Ministry said earlier. The drills are part of a program for Kiev-Washington defense cooperation in 2014 and were approved by a presidential decree on March 25, it added.
The Sea Breeze exercises come just three days after a peace deal was reached between Kiev and rebel troops following months of bloody fighting. The US and NATO repeatedly accused Russia of "invading Ukraine," supporting "pro-Russian separatists" and deepening the crisis. However, no convincing evidence has been provided for such statements.
Besides Ukraine and the US, the exercise in the Black Sea will involve Spain, Canada, Romania and Turkey, according to the Defense Ministry in Kiev. Georgia, Norway, Sweden and France sent monitors. A total of 12 ships and supply vessels - including seven Ukrainian ships - as well as planes and helicopters will participate in the drills.
According to the US Navy, the Sea Breeze will include "three ships from Standing NATO Maritime Group TWO Task Unit 02 (SNMG2 TU.02), the Canadian Halifax-class frigate HMCS Toronto (FFH 333), Spanish frigate ESPS Almirante Juan De Borbon and Romanian frigate ROS Regele Ferdinand," it said in a statement on Monday.
As part of maneuvers, the participants will drill missions to monitor civilian ships navigating in certain areas, searching for rule-breaking ships, conducting inspection operations and helping vessels in distress.
