Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Roman Mashovets met with Head of the NATO Representation to Ukraine Alexander Vinnikov to discuss the situation in the east of our country and near the Ukrainian border, Allies' support for Ukraine's national security sector, defense reforms and our country’s path towards NATO accession.
The Deputy Head of the Office of the President stressed that the reduction in the number of Russian troops on the border with Ukraine will help reduce tension in the region.
Roman Mashovets thanked NATO for its continued attention to Ukraine's national security and defense issues and the Alliance's support for the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The Deputy Head of the Office of the President informed about legislative and practical steps taken to increase the level of civilian democratic control over Ukraine's defense forces and delimitation of powers between the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the framework of implementation of the provisions of the Law "On National Security of Ukraine". In particular, he drew attention to the President's signing on April 20 of the Law "On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of Ukraine on Improving Certain Issues of Military Duty and Military Accounting" and preparation for the second reading of the draft law "On Amendments to Certain Laws of Ukraine on Improving Defense Planning Procedures" , which should reflect these issues.
The interlocutors noted the importance of building a national resilience system in Ukraine, taking into account the recommendations provided by the NATO Advisory Support Group. Roman Mashovets informed about the participation of the Office of the President of Ukraine in this process, in particular, about establishing effective coordination between all subjects of resilience in the country. This is facilitated by the recently established Center for Countering Disinformation as a key coordinating body in the field of information security, which should ensure its effectiveness and resilience of society to external threats.
For his part, the Head of the NATO Representation to Ukraine reaffirmed the Alliance’s continued support in carrying out the necessary defense reforms in our country.