U.S. troops heading from Germany to Slovakia for planned NATO drills

A general view of a tent camp prepared for the U.S. troops in Rancirov, Czech Republic February 15, 2022. REUTERS/Jiri Skacel

ROZVADOV, Czech Republic (Reuters) - The first part of a planned contingent of 2,000 U.S. troops and hundreds of vehicles entered the Czech Republic from Germany on Tuesday en route eastwards to Slovakia for NATO's Saber Strike military drills, a Reuters witness said.

Slovakia borders Ukraine to the east but the bi-annual drills, spanning seven countries including the Baltics, Poland, Czech Republic and Germany, have long been planned and are not related to Ukraine's current stand-off with Russian armed forces massed near its borders, the Slovak Defence Ministry said.