President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg visited the National Defense University in Kyiv the day before, informs Office of the President.
They met with students of the institution who are taking professional military training courses according to NATO standards. The Secretary General of the Alliance called this one of the examples of how the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is increasingly integrating Ukraine into its structure and educational programs.
During the meeting, they discussed the prospects of strengthening Ukrainian air defense. The head of state noted that thanks to the help of partners, our military has mastered modern Western air defense systems, and there is no such number of different types in any country of the Alliance.
“Today, our experts can tell exactly which system is ideal for us, how much we lack. Our anti-aircraft defense is not yet universal, it changes and is replenished daily. Not only air defense systems, but also EW, anti-drone systems, etc.,” he noted.
Zelenskyi emphasized that the Ukrainian defenders of the sky today face a complex of various threats, the struggle of technologies continues.
“I am sure that we will have modern aircraft that will also be one of the components of this system,” he added.
For his part, Jens Stoltenberg noted: as soon as Ukraine becomes a member of the Alliance, it will be fully integrated into the NATO air defense system.
“At the same time, we need to make you as compatible as possible. And integrate as much as we can,” he noted.
The head of state emphasized that it is very important for Ukraine to receive an invitation to join the North Atlantic Alliance, and separately spoke about the work of the Ukraine-NATO Council.
“Without any bureaucratic pauses, when Ukraine needs it, we can convene it. This is one of the tools. Today, we discussed several new tools with the General Secretary,” he concluded.
Volodymyr Zelenskyi and Jens Stoltenberg also visited an exhibition of captured and destroyed Russian equipment on the territory of the university.
- On April 29, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg came to Kyiv with an unannounced visit.
- During his visit to Kyiv, Stoltenberg initiated the creation of a special Fund for the financial support of Ukrainian defense in the amount of 100 billion euros.
- Also, the Secretary General of the Alliance stated that Ukraine will become a member of NATO when the appropriate moment arrives. But it is unlikely to be this year’s summit in Vilnius.
