Ukraine has been granted special status at NATO exercises
This was reported by European Truth.
Alona Getmanchuk, Ukraine’s ambassador to NATO, spoke about the new format for Ukraine’s participation.
According to her, Ukrainian military personnel can now take part not only in the Alliance’s regular exercises as representatives of a partner country, but also in exercises under Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, which concerns collective defence.
“I am delighted that we have achieved this, so that Ukrainian military personnel can take part not only in NATO exercises as a partner country, as we have always done, but also in NATO exercises under Article 5 — collective defence,” said Hetmanchuk.
The ambassador emphasised that Ukraine is the only partner country to have been granted this right in accordance with a decision by the NATO North Atlantic Council.
Why this is important for the Alliance
According to Hetmanchuk, the participation of Ukrainian military personnel in such exercises gives NATO the opportunity to learn directly from Ukraine’s experience of modern warfare.
This is not just about combat training, but also about the use of Ukrainian weaponry, modern technologies and drones.
“This is very important for NATO because, in practical terms, it is perhaps the best way to learn from our experiences through the participation of Ukrainian military personnel, using Ukrainian weapons and those same Ukrainian drones,” the diplomat explained.
How NATO’s approach is changing
Hetmanchuk noted that the Alliance is prepared to change its approach to military exercises and pay greater attention to the practical lessons of modern warfare.
According to her, whilst such exercises were previously often a demonstration of the readiness and strength of NATO member states, the main objective now is to gain real-world experience and adapt to new challenges.
Patriot and the Ankara summit
The ambassador also reported that Ukraine is currently receiving 90–92 per cent of the interceptors for the Patriot air defence systems through the PURL mechanism, which enables European countries to procure American weaponry for Ukraine.
In addition, Hetmanchuk confirmed that a meeting of the Ukraine–NATO Council at ministerial level will take place during the NATO summit in Ankara.
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