“A step in the right direction”

A meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Commission was held in Brussels on December 2. Following it, the alliance announced new measures of political and practical support for Ukraine. In particular, they included the launch of trust funds designed to improve, among other things, the capabilities of the Ukrainian army.

Before the commission’s meeting, Foreign Minister of Lithuania Linas Linkevicius responded to a question about the prospects of cooperation between Ukraine and NATO by saying that “the establishment of trust funds was a step in the right direction. I believe that we are well positioned to enhance Ukraine’s defense capabilities. I want to emphasize that Ukraine has faced an external aggression, not some internal conflict. It is a war, and Ukraine really has to fight. We should support its government economically and politically, and support Ukraine’s armed forces as well.”

NATO-established trust funds will promote development cooperation under existing programs as well as create entirely new ones. So far, five funds have been provided for, and individual member nations chosen to lead each of them.

The UK, Canada, and Germany will take care of the fund designed to modernize communications and advance automation control in the Armed Forces of Ukraine in accordance with modern standards. NATO began working in this field back in 2009. According to the officials who are implementing the fund’s programs, this time has allowed them to detect the weaknesses of Ukrainian institutions and understand how their effectiveness can be improved. They will work primarily on interoperability between Ukrainian troops and the armed forces of NATO member countries. This will allow Ukraine to participate effectively in operations and exercises held under NATO’s auspices. The program has had 1.27 million euros allocated to it so far.

Norway will be responsible for the fund tasked with retraining and social adaptation of former military personnel. This project is also a continuation of another multi-year program. For instance, NATO helped prepare for the civilian labor market more than 7,000 former soldiers just this year. Under the new program, special attention will be given to veterans of the anti-terrorist operation and soldiers formerly based in Crimea. The new trust fund will also provide advice on developing an integrated approach to military career in Ukraine in the new environment.

The program of physical rehabilitation and prosthetics for wounded soldiers will be led by Bulgaria. The project has two directions, for the alliance will help individual patients as well assist in development of the medical system of Ukraine as a whole. NATO’s civil budget has allocated 1.4 million euros for implementing this fund’s programs. At the same time, significant amount of assistance has been provided in the form of equipment and training activities.

The fund designed to deal with the development of cyber defense systems in Ukraine according to the most advanced standards of NATO members will be managed by Romania. The project provides for the establishment of special laboratories for fighting computer threats, as well as NATO’s assistance in training of specialists and advisory support. The alliance will also provide the necessary equipment and software. According to NATO, the activities of the fund will focus on achieving concrete results in the near future. There are 700,000 euros already allocated for implementing programs of the fund.

Another fund, which is the responsibility of the Netherlands, Poland, the Czech Republic, and Bulgaria, will support Ukraine as it reforms logistics (logistics capabilities, information systems, organizational structures and processes) and help it to implement appropriate standards of NATO in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

During the commission’s meeting, as well as in discussions on the sidelines, the issue of the prospects of Ukraine’s NATO membership was raised repeatedly. “We will respect the decision of Ukraine to apply, should it do so,” Jens Stoltenberg noted.

When asked about possible actions of Ukraine in case of the Russian aggression’s spread to other areas, the secretary general said: “We fully support the independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Ukraine and strongly condemn violations of internationally recognized borders of the country. NATO recognizes Ukraine’s right to defend himself. Ukraine is an independent country, and we will respect decisions that it will take.”

The secretary general also stressed that “amid ongoing and deliberate destabilization of Ukraine by Russia, NATO will continue to demonstrate strong political support for Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity.” According to him, the Minsk Agreements remain a framework which could pave the way for a peaceful solution. “Ukraine has made genuine efforts to respect those commitments. But Russia and separatists have not. We call on Russia to honor its obligations. This includes withdrawing its forces and military equipment from Ukraine and from the Ukrainian border. Providing for effective international monitoring of the border,” the secretary general stressed.