NATO experts postpone visit to Ukraine due to coronavirus

"The Ukrainian Defense Ministry is doing all it can to ensure that the Armed Forces are as interoperable with the forces of the Allies as possible in joint action during NATO-led operations and missions," Pavlovska said at a press conference at Ukrinform on Thursday, March 12.

According to her, another cycle of the planning and evaluation of forces ended in NATO in 2019, and new partnership goals for 2020-2021 will be determined this year. However, the arrival of NATO experts in Ukraine was postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak, she said.

Pavlovska said that NATO standards are normative acts that regulate a particular area of activity of the armed forces and none of the 29 NATO member states has implemented all the applicable standards. In particular, Germany often uses the so-called implementation with restriction due to the need to adapt the standard to national conditions.

Earlier, Ukrainian Defense Minister Andriy Taran said in an address to the senior management of the Defense Ministry and the General Staff that the Ukrainian Armed Forces' full adaptation to NATO standards would not be achieved in the near future.

European Solidarity MPs, in turn, said the minister's speech on NATO standards not achievable for the Ukrainian Armed Forces was contrary to the Constitution of Ukraine in terms of the state's strategic goal – membership in the EU and NATO.

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