This week in Luxembourg, a conference dedicated to the new stage of NATO’s partnership with Ukraine will take place. There, they will discuss the modernization of defense procurement processes, according to the North Atlantic Alliance’s page.
It is noted that NATO and Ukrainian delegates will meet to discuss the modernization of Ukraine’s defense procurement processes to make them faster, more resilient, and transparent.
Stacy Cummings, the General Manager of NATO’s Support and Procurement Agency, will kick off the conference protocol, and among the speakers will be Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine Dmytro Klimenkov and NATO Assistant Secretary General for Operations Tom Goffus.
Support for Ukraine
Improving defense procurement remains a top priority for Ukraine, and NATO intends to assist in this process to ensure its alignment with the advanced practices of Alliance members.
It is also stated that NATO will continue to support Ukraine to the fullest extent at every stage.
About this Review
It’s clarified that the NATO-Ukraine Strategic Defence Procurement Review is part of a comprehensive package of Alliance assistance. This initiative was launched in 2016 to support Ukraine’s capability to strengthen its own security and implement extensive reforms.
Supported by Norway and conducted at the request of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, the Review is carried out by specialized experts from across NATO and Ukraine in close cooperation with the Alliance’s procurement agency.
The purpose of the Review is to assist Ukraine in reforming its defense procurement system and bringing it into line with NATO’s advanced practices and standards. The recommendations will promote greater accountability, transparency, and operational compatibility, helping to lay the groundwork for Ukraine’s future NATO membership.
The conference taking place this week marks the beginning of the first phase of the Review, which involves the creation of working groups to develop a series of political recommendations to be approved at the Washington Summit in July.
Ukraine and NATO
On September 30, 2022, Ukraine applied for NATO membership under an accelerated procedure. Kyiv expected to receive an invitation to join NATO at the summer summit in Vilnius, but this did not happen.
There have been quite conflicting statements regarding the timing of Ukraine’s NATO membership. For example, NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoană recently stated that Ukraine would become part of the North Atlantic Alliance, but it cannot be said exactly when.