US troops arrived in Slovakia on Thursday to take part in a multinational training exercise amid regional tensions with Russia over Ukraine.

"The Saber Strike 22 exercise focuses on strengthening cooperation amongst NATO allies," Slovak Chief of Defense, General Daniel Zmeko, told journalists.

"This exercise will test our ability to work together with our strongest and most important strategic partner in the field of defense," he added when the first plane carrying military equipment from Germany landed at the Kuchyna military base.

The Saber Strike exercise is scheduled to run from March 5 to 10 at the Lest training center and the Sliac airbase, according to the Unit Spokesperson John Ambelang.

"The exercise will involve 1,200 US Army soldiers and 500 vehicles. The first convoy arrived in Slovakia from Germany early Thursday morning," Ambelang told reporters.

44% believe US, NATO are causing tensions

It is noteworthy that a recent poll conducted in Slovakia found that 44% of the respondents said they believed the US and NATO were to blame for the ongoing tension, while 35% blamed Russia, according to the opinion survey conducted by the Focus Agency.

The exercise comes as NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said Wednesday the alliance is looking to step up efforts to strengthen its eastern flank, claiming that threat from Russia had become the "new normal in Europe."

In addition, three diplomats said Tuesday that NATO defense ministers are expected to launch this week a plan that could lead to the deployment of four multinational battle groups to southeastern Europe in response to Russia's alleged military buildup on Ukraine's borders.