300 US paratroopers are in Ukraine for joint military training exercises. Ukraine asked for the assistance to help bolster defenses against pro-Russian separatists. But Moscow charges that the exercises will destabiliize the shaky peace process. CCTV’s Kate Parkinson filed this report.

Highlights:

• The U.S. is also sending $75 million in military aid and has stopped short of offering weapons.
• At an opening ceremony Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said the training will give a new face to Ukraine’s poorly trained army which has struggled to fight off pro-Russian separatists in the east.
• Russia warns the presence of U.S. military personnel on the ground in Ukraine, even as trainers, risks escalating the conflict further.