2023-07-17T21:17:00+03:00 Politics 2024-09-15T05:17:00+03:00

Ukrainian news

At summit in Vilnius, we managed to get serious results, in particular, new comprehensive package of assistan

At summit in Vilnius, we managed to get serious results, in particular, new comprehensive package of assistance - Reznikov

The Ukrainian public space underestimated the results of the latest NATO summit, in particular, misinterpreting its achievements. The results of the summit indicate that the transit period for Ukraine's accession to the Alliance has actually begun - writes Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov.

"The main achievement in our public space was underestimated, in particular, because it was mistakenly interpreted. The main result of the summit - a set of decisions, public statements, initiated initiatives - shows that the transit period for Ukraine's accession to the Alliance has actually begun. This process is getting more and more signs of irreversibility," Reznikov writes.

According to the Minister of Defense, the summit managed to achieve consensus and a deep understanding of common goals with partner countries, based on the Ukrainian position.

"First of all, it was possible to convey the Ukrainian vision, which was supported by the leaders of partner countries: trade in territories and freedom to join security alliances is unacceptable, this cannot be the subject of exchange. Rejecting NATO integration cannot be a negotiating position. The consensus was evident in the statements. U.S. President Joe Biden, Turkish President Recep Erdogan, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and other friends of Ukraine said that Ukraine will be in NATO when the conditions are met. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak separately noted that the security guarantees that were provided to Ukraine from the Group of Seven countries should not be considered as an alternative to NATO. Ukraine emphasized this approach. The fact of the G7 declaration proves that the issue of fair peace in Ukraine is a global interest. This is another Ukrainian thesis that has gained support: Russia's attack on Ukraine is not a local problem and does not have a local solution in the form of a "freeze" or something like that. There is only one way out of the war - through the defeat of the aggressor and its punishment. This is a common goal," said Defense Minister Reznikov.

At the summit in Vilnius, as Reznikov notes, it was possible to get serious results, in particular, a new comprehensive package of assistance.

"Among the practical results of the summit is a comprehensive package of assistance, which provides for: a transition from a short-term to a multi-year program to support the transformation of the security and defense sector of Ukraine to achieve complete interoperability with the Alliance; providing non-lethal assistance (fuel, demining, medicine, etc.) to introduce a high-level political instrument in the form of the NATO-Ukraine Council," Reznikov wrote.

One of the main achievements of the summit is the recognition that Ukraine has made progress in interoperability and has become more politically integrated into the Alliance. Instead of a two-step NATO accession process, a one-step one was introduced. Reznikov also emphasizes that many other practical issues were resolved on the sidelines of the meeting.

"The first joint center of analysis, training and education with NATO has been created to disseminate the best practices gained in the war. A document was signed on the "coalition of training pilots." A package of documents was signed to deepen cooperation with Sweden. We agreed on access to sensitive information, as well as radically simplified access to the Swedish defense industry in the procurement process. In the list of practical achievements related to the summit, there are aid packages worth USD 1.5 billion. Some decisions that were announced in the context of the summit - the provision of cluster ammunition from the United States and long-range Sculp missiles from France, etc. - are strengthening our army at a critical moment and preserving the lives of our soldiers. Thus, at the level of fundamental things, legal framework and practical work, the results are very positive," Reznikov summed up.