On Friday the NATO delegation headed by Chairman of the NATO Military Committee Colonel Harald Kujat completed its visit to Kyiv. The Brussels guests focused their attention on Kyiv’s attainments in the sphere of the military reform.
On February 12, NATO representatives met with Ukrainian Defense Minister Yevhen Marchuk (in the photo) and head of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Col. Gen. Oleksandr Zatynaiko. The latter stressed during the talks that today the emphasis is placed not on “paper achievements” but on carrying out practical measures. “The Armed Forces simultaneously are reconsidering the very basics of the state’s defensive capacity and creating the best possible military potential to ensure protecting our respective national interests,” he said. Col. Gen. Zatynaiko also mentioned NATO’s “qualified support.”
In his turn, Colonel Kujat spoke about the importance of this visit, which should be viewed within the context of the NATO Military Committee meeting scheduled for this September in Kyiv. “I am here to help you in accomplishing your complex and highly ambitious plans regarding the reform of your Armed Forces. This is a graphic evidence of the close relations between Ukraine and NATO. You can count on any support from the North Atlantic alliance,” he stressed, adding, “I would also like to take an opportunity to convey general recognition and gratitude from all NATO member states for the contribution Ukraine and its Armed Forces are making to stabilize the situation in the Balkans and Iraq as part of the Coalition Joint Task Force.”
