US launch Black Sea drills

Ukraine and the United States launched joint naval exercises in the Black Sea yesterday in a show of Western cooperation with Kiev as it faces off with Russia. The drills come just days after the British navy's HMS Defender passed near Russian-annexed Crimea in the Black Sea, with Moscow saying it fired warning shots at the destroyer to ward it off.  The Sea Breeze drills -- which have taken place 21 times since 1997 -- will involve some 5,000 military personnel from more than 30 countries. The exercises will last two weeks and involve around 30 ships, including the missile destroyer USS Ross.