Ukraine hopes to provide strategic air transport to NATO
Ukraine’s leadership has decided to withdraw from the tripartite cooperation program between Ukraine, Russia and NATO, according to which the Alliance has used the capabilities of Ukrainian strategic aviation.
The acting head of the Mission of Ukraine to NATO, Yehor Bozhok, said this in an interview with Evropeyskaya Pravda.
He named Ukrainian strategic AN-124 Ruslan planes among the items that Ukraine offers to enhance the Alliance’s defense capability.
“Until now we had a program, according to which Ukraine has provided the NATO member states with services in strategic air transport in cooperation with Russia. The leadership of our country has decided to give up cooperation with Russia in this area. We are now negotiating on the new Ukraine–NATO agreement,” the diplomat said.
Among other options for contributing to the Alliance’s defense capabilities, he named the Ukrainian experience in combating hybrid threats. It is expected that Ukraine and NATO will create a center on counteracting the hybrid war in Kiev.
“We can also be helpful to NATO in intelligence and surveillance spheres, share the information that we have. We can offer capabilities and resources for joint exercises and training. Yavoriv training grounds, for example, is already a certified NATO training center,” the diplomat added.