The NATO-Ukraine Council discussed the implementation of the decisions of the Vilnius Summit of the Alliance, as well as long-term support for Ukraine in its opposition to Russian aggression.

The NATO-Ukraine Council (NUC) met in Brussels on Wednesday to reaffirm NATO’s long-term support to Ukraine and take forward the decisions from the Vilnius Summit. The meeting was chaired by Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoană, with the participation of Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Olha Stefanishyna, the Headquarters of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation said.

“The NATO-Ukraine Council met to reaffirm NATO’s long-term support to Ukraine and take forward the decisions from the Vilnius Summit. The Deputy Secretary General stressed that Ukraine’s security is of great importance to the Alliance. He commended Allies and Ukraine’s efforts to quickly implement decisions from the Vilnius Summit,” the message reads.

NATO also stated that allies continue to provide substantial assistance to Ukraine, including through NATO’s Comprehensive Assistance package, and are taking forward “important work to ensure Ukraine’s forces are fully interoperable with NATO.” “All of this means that Ukraine is closer to NATO than ever before,” the message reads.

The decision to create the NATO-Ukraine Council was made at the alliance summit in Vilnius. It is a joint body in which NATO and Ukraine meet for consultations on crisis situations and decision-making on an equal footing. The current meeting was the third. In July, the Council met at the initiative of the Ukrainian side at the level of ambassadors to discuss the escalation of the security situation in the Black Sea caused by Russia's actions.