Political infighting between pro-western and pro-Russian factions in the Ukraine parliament precluded approval for US Navy ships to enter Ukraine territorial waters for the scheduled "Sea Breeze 2009" exercise.
The same thing happened in 2006, making this the second year since 1997 that the bilateral exercise had to be called off. The 2008 exercise was held as scheduled, but was marred by anti-American protests. All-in-all, these developments do not bode well for the future of Ukraine's pro-Western, pro-NATO course.
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