Yermak's deputy informs NATO representative about 570 ceasefire violations year to date

Mashovets, in particular, thanked NATO for providing support for Ukraine's Euro-Atlantic integration and bringing Ukraine closer to the standards of the North Atlantic Alliance, the President’s press service informs.

"We very much hope that we will also receive the NATO Membership Action Plan in the near future," he said.

The deputy head of the President’s Office informed the NATO representative about the deteriorating security situation in the east and noted that Russian troops had violated the ceasefire more than 570 times since the beginning of this year. Every week, there are sad reports of losses among Ukrainian soldiers in eastern Ukraine.

"The Russian Federation does not abide by international agreements and demonstrates its unwillingness to conduct a dialogue in the format of the Trilateral Contact Group and in the Normandy format. The Russian side is trying to disrupt the peace process, as well as the regime of the complete and comprehensive ceasefire, established on July 27, 2020," Mashovets said.

According to him, a concentration of Russian troops is currently observed near the state border of Ukraine. In this context, Mashovets stressed that the organization of joint exercises of the Armed Forces of Ukraine with NATO troops, in particular the possibility of joint air patrols with NATO aircraft in the airspace of Ukraine, would help stabilize the security situation in the region.

The official also underscored the importance of a political response from the NATO leadership to such actions by Russia.

For his part, the Head of the NATO Representation to Ukraine expressed his condolences over the losses Ukraine suffered in recent weeks in the fight against Russian aggression in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Vinnikov said that all information on the security situation in eastern Ukraine and on the border with Russia will be conveyed to the Alliance's headquarters in Brussels.

The NATO representative reminded that in the recent fruitful conversation between President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, the interlocutors agreed on the need to focus on the implementation of reforms that will bring Ukraine closer to NATO.

Vinnikov also praised the positive developments in Ukraine’s security and defense sector, especially the adoption of laws on intelligence and defense procurement in 2020.

"We would like to note the adoption of the law on the Security Service of Ukraine at first reading and look forward to the adoption of the law at second reading, which will be a historic step towards rapprochement with NATO," he said.

The Head of the NATO Representation to Ukraine also pointed out the approval of the National Security Strategy of Ukraine in September 2020 and the Military Security Strategy of Ukraine in March this year, which contain a clear strategic vision of the country's defense policy and provide a platform for further development and adoption of the Strategic Defense Bulletin and other strategic documents in the field of national security and defense of Ukraine.

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