The Russian navy on Wednesday began military drills in the Black Sea.

Sometime this week, two U.S. warships are expected to arrive in the region. Washington and NATO have expressed alarm over the gathering of Russian forces near Ukraine and in Crimea.

Russia says it is responding to a NATO threat.

Julia Chapman has this report from Moscow.

I spoke with Volodymyr Yelchenko, the Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States.

To discuss:

• Serhiy Kudelia is an associate professor of political science, at Baylor University.
• Anton Fedyashin is a professor of history, at American University.
• Brian Becker is the executive director of the ANSWER Coalition.

For more:

As Russia amasses troops near a war zone border, Ukraine’s President tours front lines with CNN and calls for increased US support. https://t.co/Cqy70FC1oT pic.twitter.com/uqojCVpVTI

— CNN (@CNN) April 12, 2021

Defence minister’s accusation comes as Western powers pile pressure on Russia over its military buildup at the border.https://t.co/Zd4VXXLUg8

— Al Jazeera Breaking News (@AJENews) April 14, 2021