The Ukrainian General Staff has called NATO-standard reforms a priority in 2021

The chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces has acknowledged the need to rearm the Ukrainian army, get rid of the Soviet legacy and modernize to NATO standards

Achieving compatibility of the Ukrainian army with NATO military formations, as well as receiving assistance within the framework of the organization’s trust funds are priorities in this year’s ongoing work. Lieutenant General Sergey Korneichuk, Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), said.

“It is important for us to practically achieve compatibility of our forces and means with NATO military formations, to strengthen the level of military interaction. We proceed from the fact that modern defence conditions, in particular countering armed aggression by the Russian Federation, need the most effective use of all mechanisms and instruments of cooperation with NATO”, –  he said in an interview with the Ukrinform news agency published on Wednesday.

A priority area of cooperation with the organisation for Ukraine, according to Korneichuk, is also “practical and logistical assistance provided through NATO trust fund projects and relevant bilateral programmes”.

“This assistance consists both in allocation of funds to the budget of the funds, which are later used in purchasing equipment for urgent needs of the Ukrainian army, professional training of personnel, rehabilitation of wounded servicemen, and in providing allies with large-scale advisory and consultative assistance,” he specified.

The chief of the General Staff also recalled that in June 2020, Ukraine became a partner of NATO with enhanced capabilities, which gives it a number of advantages in training personnel and units and significantly expands opportunities in training activities.