MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The exercise itself is preceded by the ceremonial part visited by Ukrainian Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak and the US ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey Pyatt among others, Ukraine 112 TV channel reported.
US and Ukrainian forces commenced the 15th iteration of Sea Breeze on July 18. The 2016 exercises involve about 2,300 personnel and 25 vessels from 13 nations.
Sea Breeze is an annual air, land and maritime exercise designed to improve maritime safety, security and stability in the Black Sea, according to the US Navy. Russia has protested the presence of US and NATO warships in the Black Sea, citing a 1936 convention that restricts warship tonnage in bodies of water for nations that do not border the waterway.
