EU looks at turning Ukraine’s forces into army with NATO standards
NATO army (Photo: GettyImages)
Western countries are discussing their role in transforming the Ukrainian army after a potential end to the war, focusing on aligning units with NATO standards and providing long-term security guarantees, according to a Russian media report.
Coalition plans for reforming the Ukrainian Armed Forces
The Coalition of the Willing intends to help restructure Ukrainian military units in line with NATO standards once a peace agreement is reached in Ukraine.
This was stated by British Deputy Defense Minister Luke Pollard while speaking in the House of Commons.
According to him, the work is being carried out jointly with the French side and aims to ensure that, once hostilities end, Ukrainian forces will have the opportunity to pull back some units from the front line and implement structural reforms.
He said that they were working together with their French colleagues from the Coalition of the Willing to ensure that, when peace came — which he hoped would be soon — they would have the ability to support their Ukrainian friends by allowing them to withdraw their units from the front line and restructure them according to NATO standards.
Question of Western troop presence
The British defense official did not clarify whether implementing these plans would involve stationing Western troops on Ukrainian territory or replacing some Ukrainian units.
The UK has stepped up preparatory measures for a possible deployment of a peacekeeping contingent in Ukraine, viewing it as a tool to maintain a ceasefire and prevent further escalation.
The UK also announced at the Ramstein meeting a major air defense aid package for Ukraine worth nearly €685 million. According to Defense Secretary Ben Wallace, Kyiv will receive air defense systems, missiles, and automated turrets for countering drones.
