KIEV, May 29 (RIA Novosti) - Ukraine's defense minister said Monday a U.S. naval ship Advantage had delivered weapons to the southern Crimea region, and admitted he had made a mistake in previous statements.

Earlier Monday, Anatoliy Hrytsenko and the Defense Ministry said the U.S. ship had arrived in the Crimea last Saturday to bring construction materials to modernize a training range for the Ukrainian Navy.

Hrytsenko told a TV channel that he had made a mistake in his previous statements, and offered a public apology.

The arrival of the U.S. ship caused mass protests among residents of the port of Feodosiya on the Black Sea, and local legislators decided to declare the city a NATO-free zone.

In February, the Ukrainian parliament banned foreign troops from undertaking military training on the country's territory.