"The USS Porter destroyer… is heading to Constanta, where participants of NATO-Ukraine Sea Shield-2017 drills gather for a planned conference on the eve of the joint maneuvers," the source said.
On Thursday, another source told Sputnik that after the conference the warships would head to the Black Sea’s eastern part to participate in NATO's standard procedures of countering aerial, maritime and submarine threats.
On Wednesday, the Sea Shield 2017 maritime drills formally kicked off in the Black Sea. The drills take place on the territory of 80,000 square kilometers (49,700 square miles). Approximately 2,800 personnel from Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, Turkey, the United States, Canada, Spain and Ukraine, 16 warships and 10 warplanes will participate in the 10-day exercises.
