Ukraine may increase its contingent in Afghanistan
Ukrainian servicemen will continue to participate in the NATO Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan, and the Ukrainian contingent may be increased three-fold, Ukraine's Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak reported.
"The Armed Forces of Ukraine have been performing tasks in the Republic of Afghanistan for eleven years; we will also continue to participate in the mission’s operation. We are willing to increase contribution and to provide additional personnel to the headquarters of the mission – to increase the number of staff by three times", the Head of the Defense Ministry of Ukraine stated during the meeting of the North Atlantic Council with the countries-participants of the NATO Resolute Support mission in Brussels on Friday, June 8.
Resolute Support non-combat operation has being conducted in Afghanistan since December 2014. In addition to soldiers from NATO countries the soldiers from Azerbaijan (120 people), Georgia (870 people), and Ukraine (30 soldiers) are participating in it. The total number of mission is 12.5 thousand people. The vast majority of them (over 11 thousand) are the soldiers of the U.S. Army. They train the government troops, provide them with organizational and other assistance. In June, 2018 Qatar and the United Arab Emirates expressed their readiness to join the mission.
As reported, the President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko will take part in the July NATO summit in Brussels with the Heads of the Resolute Support mission's member states.