Prepared by Messenger Staff
U.S. Reaffirms Commitment to Black Sea Security in NATO Drill Agile Spirit 2025
The United States has reaffirmed its commitment to Black Sea security and allied cooperation through its participation in the NATO-led military exercise Agile Spirit 2025, held in Georgia and Türkiye.
"The exercises clearly demonstrate the United States' commitment to the stability of the Black Sea region, as well as the strength and importance of allied cooperation," the U.S. Embassy in Georgia said in a statement.
The drills, which began with a joint U.S.-Turkish airborne operation near Adana, Türkiye, involve troops from Georgia, the U.S., Türkiye, and eight other countries. Two multinational units are taking part, with representatives from two additional nations observing.
In Georgia, the exercise officially opened at the NATO-Georgia Joint Training and Evaluation Center (JTEC) on July 25. Georgian and U.S. commanders, Brigadier General Koba Grigolia and Colonel William Cox, are co-leading the drills.
Brigadier General Terry Tillis of the U.S. Army's 7th Training Command emphasized the exercises' purpose: "We believe these exercises are a vital step toward strengthening interoperability and ensuring regional defense readiness."
According to the Ministry of Defense, the drills focus on joint operations across varied terrains and aim to boost coordination, operational capability, and regional defense partnerships.
Volski Accuses Baltic States of Provoking Russian Aggression
First Vice Speaker of the Georgian Dream Parliament Gia Volski has accused Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia of deliberately trying to draw Georgia into conflict with Russia in order to protect their own national security. The remarks came in response to Lithuania's recent decision to expand visa sanctions against Georgian government officials.
Speaking to journalists, Volski alleged that the Baltic states are pushing Georgia toward confrontation with Russia to shift the geopolitical pressure away from themselves.
"The idea of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia is to somehow bring Georgia under Russian aggression so that threats toward the Baltic countries are reduced - that's the scenario," he said.
Volski expressed concern that other European countries might adopt similar policies. "It would be very unfortunate if other countries follow this trend," he added.
He framed the actions by Lithuania and its Baltic allies as part of a larger campaign of external manipulation. "They impose sanctions, make aggressive statements, sometimes even come here and incite our youth to bloodshed - we see this happening," Volski claimed.
Volski dismissed Lithuania's sanctions as part of what he described as "dark strategic plans" meant to destabilize Georgia. "I don't believe Lithuania has any reason for this, apart from these dark strategic plans - which they don't even hide, they declare them openly," he said.
