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Ukraine’s strategic movement towards NATO is something that Russia is unwilling to see. But this is Ukraine’s strategic aim, the new Minister of Defense, Andriy Zagorodniuk, confirmed during an interview for Radio Liberty.
“There is absolutely no change here. That’s why we are bolstering transition efforts not only in the technological sphere but in strategic and organizational as well,” Zahorodniuk added.
Ukraine has fallen behind NATO standards, he admits. However, Ukraine has undertaken a tremendous job to switch to NATO standards. One of them is a giant step called the transition to a Command and Control structure.
According to the Minister, the transition to the new structure is expected in 2020.
“There is a schedule. The completion of the transition is scheduled for next year,” Zahorodniuk said.
This process employs many foreign defense advisors, as well as Ukrainian specialists educated abroad, he says.
Zahorodniuk says this will be a serious and very difficult transition.
“It’s not just renaming of departments or just restructuring of departments. This is the complete shift of the organizational paradigm of the Armed Forced,” he said.
According to him, being accepted to join NATO is a political decision. But the transformation of Armed Forces and transition to NATO standards is the matter of military build-up and development of defense capabilities.
“No doubt, if the country complies with the standards, then the entry decision depends on the political body exclusively,” Zahorodniuk added.
