Ukrainian troops to join U.S.-led military exercise

KIEV, May 7 (Xinhua) -- Ukrainian troops will participate in a United States-led multinational exercise dubbed Defender Europe 21, the general staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said Friday in a statement on Facebook.

According to the statement, the Ukrainian forces will join the Dynamic Front maneuvers, which would be carried out at the Grafenwoehr training area in Germany, bringing together 1,800 troops from 16 nations, including the countries of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

Defender Europe is an annual joint exercise designed to build readiness and interoperability between the United States, NATO and partner militaries.

Ukraine, which actively cooperates with NATO, has been seeking to join the organization since 2014. The alliance, however, has not promised Kiev immediate membership prospects.