NATO-planned military exercises begin in Romania close to Ukrainian border

12:20, 16.04.2015 1 min read

Some 2,200 Romanian, U.S., British and Moldovan troops will take part in military exercises in Romania, close to the Ukrainian border, beginning this week.

"Wind Spring 15" will start on Thursday and will continue until April 30 at two locations in eastern Romania: the "Mihail Kogalniceanu" airbase near the Black Sea port of Constanta, and the "Smardan" shooting range 250 kilometers away from Bucharest, the AP news agency reported.

Romanian Defense Minister Mircea Dusa said on Wednesday that Romania will stage more than 340 exercises this year, many jointly organized with NATO and European Union partners.

Dusa said the exercises are part of a plan approved at NATO's 2014 summit to reinforce NATO's eastern flank and the EU, which border Ukraine.

"We will permanently rotate troops on this flank," he added.