Ukraine acts as NATO's eastern flank – Ukraine's Defence Minister
Ukraine expects that NATO will clarify the country's prospects for becoming a member of the Alliance at the summit in Vilnius.
Source: Voice of America, citing Oleksii Reznikov, Ukraine’s Defence Minister
Details: Reznikov stated that Ukraine is already actually playing the role of NATO's eastern flank, protecting "democratic, civilised Europe from barbaric Russia." The minister emphasised that for Ukraine, the protection of Europe is "not just an abstract concept".
Quote: "We have already achieved impressive results in the fight against Russia, thanks to our work with member countries of the Alliance. We have already collected an incredibly diverse arsenal of weapons and equipment. We have built logistical routes from NATO countries to us, which are logistical routes of unprecedented complexity, and organised training programs in NATO countries... We will strengthen such cooperation in the future."
More details: According to the Defence Minister, now "the whole country is waiting for clarity: when and how we will become a full member of the Alliance."
"The Ministry of Defence and the Armed Forces are now striving to achieve maximum interoperability with NATO countries for our Armed Forces, for our Security and Defence Forces due to the implementation of NATO standards. Our goal is to fulfil everything within the competence of the Ministry of Defence and the Armed Forces, to build all practical things to such measures to free up space in Vilnius for making the necessary political decisions at the level of heads of state," Reznikov said.
Note. The 2023 Vilnius Summit is a future NATO summit scheduled for 11-12 July in the capital of Lithuania.
Background: On 14 June, Dmytro Kuleba, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, had a conversation with Annalena Baerbock, his German counterpart; the two discussed the preparation for the NATO Summit in Vilnius.
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