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The United States is planning to add Ukraine into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) as part of its plan to encircle Russia, an American political analyst says.

Keith Preston, director of the Attackthesystem.com, made the remarks while discussing Washington’s decision to provide an additional $10 million in military aid to Ukraine.

Announcing the decision on Friday, the US State Department said the money would be used to boost its naval capability, after Russia seized three Ukrainian navy ships off the coast of Crimea in the Sea of Azov last month.

The Sea of Azov is a strategic ocean route linked to the Black Sea by the narrow Strait of Kerch where Russia has built a bridge to link the Crimean Peninsula with the mainland.

Tensions escalated earlier this year after Ukraine detained two Russian ships for port calls on Crimea, which rejoined Russia in a 2014 referendum.

The move prompted Russia to increase patrols off its Azov coast to guarantee free navigation by Russian ships. 

PressTV-US boosts Ukraine navy, EU extends Russia sanctions

The US says it will provide additional funding to improve Ukraine's naval capabilities to counter Russia.

“What’s being done here it seems is that the Americans are using the situation with Russia’s seizure of three Ukrainian ships as a pretext for expanding America’s own involvement in the Ukraine through providing  million in military aide,” Preston told Press TV on Sunday.

“The objective of the United States appears to be to eventually incorporate Ukraine into NATO,” he added.

Noting that the US was trying to encircle Russia by strategically placing weapons and equipment in NATO countries, Preston said Ukraine plays a key role in those plans.

“I think that the ultimate objective is to bring all of the former Soviet republics… into NATO,” he argued. “Because the United States has, since the end of the Cold War, consistently been trying to expand NATO right up to Russia’s border.”

He said the US was not concerned about the Ukrainian ships and just used it as an excuse to get involved.