American B-52 strategic bombers arrived in the United Kingdom on Thursday (February 10th) to take part in a "
long-planned
" exercise with NATO allies, amid tension between the West and Russia, announced the US Air Force in a statement.
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Coming from the American base of Minot, in North Dakota, the bombers, whose number was not specified, landed on the British air base of Fairford, 150 km west of London, said the command of the US Air Force in Europe, based in Germany.
"
The long-planned exercise Bomber Task Force Mission
" is intended to "
improve the level of readiness and interoperability of air traffic control that coordinates strikes conducted in support of ground forces,
" the statement said.
“
United States Commitment to NATO Allies
”
"
Bomber rotations reinforce the United States' commitment to NATO allies and coalition partners to maintain our collective security and sovereignty
," adds the US Air Force, as Westerners fear an invasion of Ukraine by Russia.
Separately, the US Navy said on Thursday that four US destroyers left the United States last month to take part in a naval exercise in the Sixth Fleet area, which covers the Mediterranean in particular.
"
The destroyers USS The Sullivans, USS Gonzalez, USS Donald Cook and USS Mitscher are cruising in the European theater of operations,
" the US Navy said in a statement.
“
They will be participating in a series of naval activities with the Sixth Fleet and our NATO allies.
“
These deployments will provide additional flexibility to Sixth Fleet Command
,” the statement noted.
Russia announced on Thursday the arrival in Crimea of six warships for upcoming maneuvers in the Black Sea, which borders southern Ukraine.
These movements come at a time when Russia has begun large-scale military maneuvers in Belarus, at the gates of Ukraine, which is at the center of extreme tensions between Russia and the West and while intense efforts are continuing diplomacy to defuse the crisis.