Colonel General Ruslan Khomchak, took part in a meeting of the NATO Military Committee in a format with Ukraine.

The visit of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is taking place against the background of a significant increase in security challenges and threats to both Ukraine and the Euro-Atlantic community as a whole/General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine /

“Therefore I am very pleased that today we will be joined by the Chiefs of Defence from our Enhanced Opportunity Partners from Ukraine and Georgia,” said Air Chief Marshal Sir Stuart Peach, Chair of the NATO Military Committee.

During his speech, Colonel-General Ruslan Khomchak informed the international community about the development of the security environment around Ukraine, the situation in the area of ​​the Операція об’єднаних сил / Joint Forces Operation and the main achievements in reforming the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

– russia does not abandon attempts to return our state to the sphere of its own influence. However, the kremlin’s hybrid warfare strategists are unable to realize that Ukraine has passed the point of no return and there is no going back. During this period, we found ourselves, without exaggeration, in a unique situation when, in difficult security conditions, we have to counter russian armed aggression against our state and at the same time carry out reforms of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, – said Colonel-General Ruslan Khomchak.

The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine called for a systematic and consolidated approach to neutralizing russian challenges and threats in the context of the situation in Ukraine, where Ukraine has been at the forefront of Moscow’s imperial ambitions for eight years.

– In fact, every day brings us signs of a new “cold” war. At the same time, we are talking about potential conflicts that may arise not only in Europe but also in the Arctic, the Middle East, North and Central Africa, the Mediterranean, etc. – wherever russia demonstrates aggressive ambitions and military power, provokes instability and creates areas of tension, – said the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Colonel-General Ruslan Khomchak during a speech at a meeting of the NATO Military Committee in the format with Ukraine.

He drew the attention of the present military leaders of the NATO armed forces to some aspects of russia’s hybrid war against Ukraine, as the key is that such a concentration of russian troops (forces) near the Ukrainian borders has not been recorded since 2014-2015, when armed confrontation in the occupied territories Donetsk and Luhansk regions were in the hot phase.

– Despite the statement of the minister of defense of the russian federation on the return of troops to places of permanent deployment, russia continues to keep about 80,000 personnel and a significant amount of weapons and military equipment near various parts of the border with Ukraine. Ships and boats transferred to reinforce the russian group from the Northern Fleet and the Caspian Flotilla also continue to be in the Azov-Black Sea region. According to our estimates, this allows russia to quickly increase the offensive capabilities of groups of its armed forces to carry out offensive actions against Ukraine, – said the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The Ukrainian military leadership does not rule out the possibility that russia may also use the territory and infrastructure of other states to increase political and military pressure on Ukraine.

In addition, a potential threat is the joint strategic exercises of the armed forces of russia and Belarus “West – 2021” scheduled for September.

Air Chief Marshal Sir Stuart Peach, Chair of the NATO Military Committee and Senior Military Adviser to the Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, in his opening remarks at the at the start of the Military Committee in Chiefs of Defence session at NATO Headquarters, Brussels, Belgium on 18 May 2021 stressed on: “Russia continues its pattern of destabilising aggressive actions, including ongoing violations of Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity and reinforcements at the Ukrainian border. Although we have seen some reduction in the number of Russian troops near the border, tens of thousands remain including their weapons and equipment. Russia is trying to impose restrictions in the Black Sea, including restricting access to the Sea of Azov through the Kerch Strait”.

The Chiefs of Defence reiterated their full support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and discussed future cooperation in and around the Black Sea.