Estonia to Hold Joint Military Exercises With US, Dutch Soldiers on Monday

A statement released on the official website of the Estonian Defense Forces says that a two-week joint military drill will commence in Estonia on Monday.

TALLINN, February 2 (Sputnik) – A two-week joint military drill will be held in Estonia starting from Monday and will see the participation of American and Dutch soldiers, a statement released on the official website of Estonian Defense Forces says.

"The main objective of this exercise is to practice conventional warfare in winter conditions with our allies from the United States and the Netherlands," Lt. Col. Aron Kalmus said as quoted in the Sunday statement.

According to Estonian Defense Forces, the military exercise will involve around 1.2 thousand personnel and will last until February 17. The soldiers will practice tactical manoeuvres on skis and learn how to better operate in cold weather conditions.

Under NATO's Readiness Action Plan, a program implemented in 2014, troop rotations and joint military exercises have become more frequent in the Baltics.

NATO has been strengthening its military presence along Russia's western border amid the Ukrainian crisis, which the alliance claims Russia is involved in.

Moscow has repeatedly stressed that it is not involved in the situation in Ukraine and has expressed concern over the build-up of NATO forces along its borders.