11:49 19.02.2016

Defense ministries of Sweden, Lithuania to continue helping Defense Ministry of Ukraine to meet NATO standards

2 min read
Defense ministries of Sweden, Lithuania to continue helping Defense Ministry of Ukraine to meet NATO standards

Ukraine, Lithuania and Sweden have agreed to exchange experience in the defense sector, Ukrainian Defense Minister of Ukraine Stepan Poltorak has said.

"This experience exchange is very important and interesting for us, especially experience of Sweden which is not a member of the Alliance, but the armed forces of the country have been brought in line with NATO standards," Poltorak said after a meeting with Swedish Defense Minister Peter Hultqvist and Lithuanian Minister of National Defense Juozas Olekaz in Kyiv on Thursday.

The minister said that among top priorities for the near term is joining NATO. The country is actively conducting the defense sector reform to bring the armed forces in line with NATO standards.

The Swedish minister said that his country helps Ukraine in reforms.

"Today the world's eyes are turning to the crisis in Syria and other parts of the world. But no matter how grave other crises are, they must not serve as an excuse for forgetting about the situation in Ukraine," he said.

The Lithuanian minister said that his country is ready to continue helping Ukraine.

"Regular Russian troops are present in Ukraine. This seriously complicates the situation. We will continue helping to reform the Armed Forces of Ukraine," he said.

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