Ukraine Crisis: Ukraine in NATO Military Exercises, French break Military Cooperation with Russia, Canadian Armaments Giant Delays $3.4 Billion Weapons Deal with Russia; Poland, United States Plan Air Exercises at Polish Base

BALTIMORE, Maryland March 21, 2014 - Poland and the United States have announced that they will conduct imminent joint military exercises, possibly with other NATO Countries, In another NATO-related announcement, Ukrainian Military forces are said to be participating in NATO exercises in Bulgaria, along with troops from other Eastern European nations near Russia. Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bulgaria, Georgia, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Turkey, Ukraine and the United States, as well as representatives from NATO, are participating in the exercises. This, even as the French Foreign Minister announced his country was breaking off military cooperation with Russia, and Canadian Armaments Giant Bombardier said it was placing a delay on $3.4 Billion deal to build weapons for Russia.

Reuters and other media outlets, including the Sofia News Agency, revealed the multi-nation exercises organized by NATO in eastern Bulgaria. The exercises are said to have been planned before the Russian invasion of Crimea. French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Friday during a trip to several Baltic nations that was specifically designed to reassure nations near Russia of France's promise to move militarily if Russia moves further in is imperial efforts. Russian Strong Man Vladimir Putin said he has no further plans to move his forces across Russia's borders, but he said the same thing before invading Crimea.

Some sources were reporting Friday that the United States and Poland were planning military exercises in Poland, but a military spokesman for the United States said Friday that these reports were false. Instead, the spokesman said the two nations were planning increased cooperative activities as the Lask Air Force Base in Central Poland. The United States has a permanent garrison at the base and planes from the United States, now assigned to Poland, are using the base. Earlier in March the USA and Poland held war games at the Lask base.

NATO has announced its intention to intensigy a NATO-Ukraine partnership announced earlier. NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen met this week with Ukraine's Acting Foreign Minister Andriy Deshchytsya. Rasmussen said the cooperation was being demonstrated by Ukraine's participation in the "Saber Guardian" exercises in Eastern Bulgaria. About 700 troops are participating from the twelve nations listed above.

The giant Bombardier Corporation had signed a letter of intent in August to sell Russia's state-owned Rostekhologli Company up to 100 Q400 turboprop aircraft and to establish a turboprop assembly facility in Russia this year. Now, as part of the sanctions being imposed by Canada on Russia as a result of the Crimean invasion, that deal is delayed indefinetly. Canada has also broken other military cooperation initiatives with Russia and recalled its ambassador.