Russia, Ukraine Hold Military Drills, NATO Criticizes Russian Troop Build-Up

Tanks of the Ukrainian Armed Forces are seen during drills at an unknown location near the border of Russian-annexed Crimea, Ukraine, on April 14, 2021. Press Service General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine/Handout via Reuters

MOSCOW/BRUSSELS—Russia and Ukraine held simultaneous military drills on Wednesday as NATO foreign and defense ministers began emergency discussions on the massing of Russian troops near the Ukrainian border.

Washington and NATO have been alarmed by the large build-up of Russian troops near Ukraine and in Crimea, the peninsula that Moscow annexed from Ukraine in 2014, and two U.S. warships are due to arrive in the Black Sea this week.