NATO Moves Ahead With Military Drills in Europe, Deploys 30,000 Troops

NATO warships are in battle formation during Sea Breeze 2021 maneuvers, in the Black Sea, on July 9, 2021. Ukraine and NATO have conducted Black Sea drills involving dozens of warships in a two-week show of their strong defense ties and capability following a confrontation between Russia's military forces and a British destroyer off Crimea last month. Efrem Lukatsky /AP Photo

NATO started scheduled military drills this week in Norway, involving 30,000 troops, 220 aircraft, and 50 warships, according to a statement from the military alliance on Tuesday.

While no mention of the Russia–Ukraine conflict was made, the drills involve “tens of thousands of troops from across Europe and North America [who] are training together in harsh climatic conditions as part of Norwegian exercise Cold Response 2022,” according to the alliance.