NATO Drills in Ukraine Threaten Peace Settlement - Russian Foreign Ministry

US-led NATO-Ukraine joint drills, which kicked off on July 20 in the Lviv region, clearly demonstrate the Alliance's provocative course on unconditional support of Kiev regime's policies in the south-east of Ukraine, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — NATO members must realize that the ongoing military drills in Ukraine could undermine peaceful settlement of the conflict in the south-east of the country, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Monday.

"US-led NATO-Ukraine joint drills, which kicked off on July 20 in the Lviv region, clearly demonstrate the Alliance's provocative course on unconditional support of Kiev regime's policies in the south-east of Ukraine that leads to civilian casualties every day," the ministry said in a statement.

"The Alliance must realize that actions inciting revenge policies of the Kiev 'party of war' could threaten the blossoming progress in the peace settlement of the deep internal crisis in Ukraine," the statement said.

In March, the Ukrainian parliament approved a bill allowing foreign troops into the country to participate in joint military exercises with Ukrainian Armed Forces.

According to the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, the international military exercises Saber Guardian/Rapid Trident-2015, including over 1,800 troops from 18 countries, that kicked off in Lviv region Monday, are the largest to be held in Ukraine in 2015.

Previous Rapid Trident exercise took place in Ukraine on September 15-26, 2014. Some 1,300 personnel from 15 countries participated in the exercise.