NATO will not fulfill Ukraine's request for intelligence and equipment assistance, and such issues should be discussed with member states on a bilateral basis, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said at a GLOBSEC conference in Bratislava on Thursday.

"Let me remind you that NATO does not possess equipment, NATO does not have an intelligence service as an organization. We are dependent on individual allies," Rasmussen said. "So the question about equipment, intelligence cooperation, et cetera – that's the issue that should be addressed at the bilateral level between Ukraine and individual allies."

He pledged NATO assistance "when it comes to defense reform, modernization of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, more interoperability including Ukrainian participation in NATO exercises."

"I foresee that we will do more in the future. But let me also remind you that, of course, there is a difference between being a member of NATO and not being a member of NATO. Collective defense, according to Article 5, applies to members only," the NATO secretary added.

Acting Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Deschytsia said in March that Kyiv had submitted a request for aid from NATO, which is now under consideration.

He said Ukraine requested NATO members provide technical equipment for defense purposes, but reiterated that Kyiv did not ask for weapons.