KIEV: The Ukrainian parliament on Tuesday approved a series of joint military exercises with NATO on the country’s territory.
“This is a good opportunity to develop our armed forces,” a foreign news agency quoted acting Defense Minister Mikhail Koval as saying at a Verkhovna Rada session ahead of the 235-0 vote.
Meanwhile, NATO foreign ministers gathered in Brussels for a two-day meeting dominated by concern over the recent buildup of Russian forces near Crimea that US officials estimate had at one point reached about 40,000 troops.
The NATO has sought to reinforce its eastern frontier after Russia’s takeover of Ukraine’s Black Sea peninsula and amid concerns about Kremlin’s emboldened foreign policy.
