Deputy Head of the President's Office Roman Mashovets met with Canadian Ambassador to Ukraine Larisa Galadza to discuss the deteriorating situation in the east of our country, ways to deter Russian aggression and the state and prospects of reforming Ukraine's national security and defense sector.
Roman Mashovets thanked Canada for its assistance to Ukraine in countering aggression by the Russian Federation.
The Deputy Head of the Office of the President stressed that the recent events in eastern Ukraine demonstrate Russia's unwillingness to comply with international agreements. The Russian side continues to provoke and systematically violate the ceasefire, which started on July 27, 2020. Ukraine loses its best defenders every week because of the shelling in Donbas.
The Deputy Head of the Office of the President informed the Ambassador of Canada about the concentration of troops of the Russian Federation near the borders of Ukraine. The threat to Euro-Atlantic security is posed by large-scale exercises of the armed forces of Russia and Belarus "West-2021", which are scheduled for September this year and are aggressive in nature.
"Such actions of the Russian Federation challenge the security of Ukraine and NATO, which must be balanced by joint efforts," Roman Mashovets stressed.
He noted that one of the ways to improve the security situation could be joint activities, including military exercises between Ukraine and the Alliance. Such measures should cover land, naval and air components. In addition, it is advisable to increase the level of combat readiness of troops in NATO countries bordering Ukraine.
The Deputy Head of the Office of the President briefed the Ambassador of Canada on the implementation of important documents in the field of national security and defense of Ukraine. He stressed that in the framework of the implementation of the National Security Strategy, the President approved the Military Security Strategy last week.
"This is a very important document. We move on to the formation of the Strategic Defense Bulletin, the State Program for the Development of the Armed Forces of Ukraine until 2025 and the Defense Plan. We continue to develop the national security and defense sector and achieve NATO standards," said Roman Mashovets.
The Deputy Head of the President's Office also spoke about the transformation of Ukroboronprom and the results of the establishment of the Ministry of Strategic Industries of Ukraine. He stressed that the reform of the defense industry continues in order to increase its efficiency.
For her part, the Ambassador of Canada drew attention to the importance of establishing proper democratic civilian control over the Armed Forces of Ukraine. According to Larisa Galadza, the adoption of the necessary bills will be an important signal for NATO.
The ambassador stressed that Canada supports Ukraine's efforts to reform its defense and security sector and to counter Russian aggression.