Crimea

Pentagon to Give Trump Options to Reduce Troops in Germany

Defense Secretary Mark Esper will present President Donald Trump with a series of options Monday to withdraw thousands of US troops from Germany, with many moving to eastern Europe, the Pentagon said Saturday. “Secretary Esper met with President Trump on Wednesday to discuss our presence in Europe,” said Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman. “On Monday the Secretary will brief the President at the White House on options for our force posture in Germany.” According to two senior Pentagon officials, the plan calls for cutting the permanent US troop presence in Germany to 25,000, as Trump announced June 15, for a reduction of 9,500 troops. Some of the 9,500 will return to the US, while others will be transferred to former Soviet-bloc countries, the two officials said, speaking on grounds of anonymity. That shift, they added, would be meant as a clear warning to President Vladimir Putin of Russia, whose military ambitions were underscored by the 2014 annexation of the Crimea. The two officials did not say to which European country the troops might be moved, as that is among the options to be presented to the US president. But Trump, meeting at the White House on Wednesday with Polish President Andrzej …

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UK to extend Ukraine training mission Operation Orbital by 3 years

Operation Orbital, the United Kingdom's security training mission to Ukraine, has been extended by three years

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NATO to provide Ukraine with secure communications equipment, Stoltenberg says

NATO said it will supply Ukraine with secure communications equipment by the end of the year to help combat destabilization efforts by Russia

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Ukraine president Poroshenko asks NATO to send warships to Sea of Azov

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko asked NATO members to send naval vessels to the Sea of Azov to back his country in the standoff with Russia

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Russia to deploy new S-400 air defense missile system to Crimea

Russia will deploy a fourth division set of the S-400 air defense system to Crimea, the Southern Military District said

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Crimea court orders Ukrainian sailors held in pre-trial custody for 2 months

A court in Crimea ordered three Ukrainian Navy sailors detained during a confrontation over the weekend to be held in pre-trial detention until January 25

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Ukraine to consider martial law after Russia fires on 3 ships near Crimea

Russia seized three Ukrainian naval ships in waters near Crimea, raising fears of military escalation and prompting an emergency UN Security Council meeting

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