August 5th 2010
The co-operation between NATO and Ukraine continues with two weeks of military excercised focused on combating recent piracy – commercial vessels have often been seized in recent years off Somalia and Nigeria.
Even though the Ukraine’s president Viktor Yanukovych has abandoned his predecessors plans to join NATO itself, he is happy to continue the current alliance.
Both Ukraine and 12 countries of the alliance have sent 1000 troops by land, sea and air.
Amongst exercises there are the ones aimed at destroying pirates ashore and freeing a ship seized by pirates.
Even though Ukraine have been carried out these exercises since 1997, in 2006 and 2007 they had to be cancelled because of the anti-NATO protests. In May, however, the exercises were allowed to continue.
