Ukrainian army to reinforce NATO's eastern flank in exchange for collective security guarantee - Poroshenko

12:39, 24.08.2018 1 min read

The Ukrainian army will significantly reinforce NATO's eastern flank, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said at a military parade in the center of Kyiv on Friday to mark the 27th anniversary of Ukraine's independence.

"You will see here today, and the past four years have proven, that this is one of the best armies on the continent. It will significantly reinforce NATO's eastern flank. In exchange, we hope to receive collective security guarantees from the Alliance," Poroshenko said.

While Russia seeks "to dismantle the European Union and NATO," the Ukrainian army is defending the security and well-being of Ukraine and the whole of Europe in the east, Poroshenko said.

Integration into the European and Euro-Atlantic space "provides a 100% guarantee of Ukraine's independence," Poroshenko said. "Europe also needs us, because the European Union project will not be complete without us. The modern border of civilized Europe is the northeastern border of Ukraine," he said.