Around 350 troops from six countries (US, UK, Bulgaria, Moldova, Romania, and Serbia) are taking part in a military drill entitled 'Platinum Eagle 16.1', which is scheduled to conclude today according to RT.
The exercise comes less than a week after the US launched its European missile defense system in Romania, much to the ire of Russia.
"The 1st Battalion Marines is spread out over Eastern Europe, and the fact that we are able to come here, in Romania, and train with five other nations, that really promotes regional stability. Training together in peace time, those who train together will fight well together,” Lieutenant-Colonel Justin Ansel of the US Marine Corps told RT’s Ruptly video agency
Ah yes, nothing says regional stability like holding military exercises in Russia's back yard just days after pushing Russia back to a cold war type of mentality.
"We're not going to be dragged into this race. We’ll go our own way. We’ll work very accurately without exceeding the plans to finance the re-equipment of our Army and Navy, which have already been laid out for the next several years,” Putin said on Friday
"Recent developments indicate that the situation isn’t getting better. Unfortunately, it’s deteriorating. I’m talking about the launch of the radar station in Romania as one of the elements of the up-and-coming US anti-missile defense program,” the Russian president added.
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It appears as though the US isn't the slightest bit concerned about pushing Russia even further than it already has. As we said earlier, given how the market processes newsflow lately, perhaps Russia being forced to move more ICBMs to its border, increasing the likelihood of a catalyst for actual war, will be viewed as bullish for stocks.