January 12, 2019 (KyivPost) Ukraine’s Defense Minister
Stepan Poltorak has said NATO representatives have changed their positions on
Ukraine’s accession to the North Atlantic Alliance, and noted comprehensive
assistance received by Ukraine from the bloc.
“For more than four years, I have been observing the
mood at NATO headquarters with regard to Ukraine. At first, we were not taken
too seriously. Subsequently, we did not understand how accession to the bloc
could be achieved. But during the last meeting in Brussels everyone talked
about the need for our accelerated accession to NATO. We receive help from them
in all directions. This was especially noticeable recently – after an act of
open aggression by Russia,” he said in an interview with the state-owned
Uryadovy Courier.
A picture shows President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko
during the meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Brussels, on
Dec. 13, 2018.
Poltorak said he has met Britain’s Secretary of State
for Defence Gavin Williamson five times over the last six months. He said the
number of tasks Ukraine must achieve before becoming a NATO member is large.
“In the coming year, we need to complete the reform of
the Ministry of Defense and the military authorities. This is one of the most
difficult reforms – we must be very careful here so as not to disrupt the
command and control. And the changes are gradually being implemented. Recently,
we spoke about the need to directly purchase the weapons and equipment we
needed abroad. …Everything we buy in the interests of Ukraine’s Armed Forces
meets the standards of NATO,” he said.
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