EDINBURGH (Sputnik) – Lt. General Hodges said that Mariupol, which came under heavy artillery fire in January, was a Black Sea port, when in fact it is situated on the Sea of Azov. Scotland's The Herald newspaper went on to highlight the error, noting how it raised questions on NATO's understanding of the region.
"I felt like such a knucklehead. [The Herald] made a great point, it was a little bit professionally embarrassing, so my team had some fun laughing at me," Hodges told the newspaper.
Discussing the ceasefire between the Ukrainian military and Donbas militia, Hodges told the Herald that "it looks like it is better than maybe many people expected. The ceasefire is off to a better start than some had predicted."
On February 15, a ceasefire between the Donbas independence militias and Kiev took effect.
The move is part of a wider deal that is hoped to end the fighting in the region which has claimed over 5,600 lives, according to the latest UN data.
