KIEV, May 2 (RIA Novosti) - Military exercises to be held in Ukraine this year are part of the nation's bilateral cooperation with the United States and are not connected with NATO, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry said Friday.
"The Sea Breeze joint exercises are part of cooperation between the Ukrainian Defense Ministry and the U.S. Department of Defense. These are bilateral exercises designed to raise the combat efficiency of Ukraine's armed forces and they have nothing to do with NATO," a ministry spokesperson said.
Last Saturday, a U.S. cargo vessel called at the Crimean port of Feodosia, bringing in several dozen containers with firearms, military hardware and building materials for a Sea Breeze exercise. The visit sparked a wave of anti-NATO protests in the Crimea as many people assumed the exercise was part of Kiev's bid to join the North Atlantic alliance.
Difficulties surround the status of military exercises with other states in Ukraine as the nation's parliament banned foreign military forces from joining Ukrainians in exercises earlier this year and would have to revoke the prohibition for six planned war-games to go ahead. However, a coalition majority in parliament is yet to be formed after March 26 election failed to produce a clear winner.
