On April 22, Ukraine’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Olexandr Mischenko, held a meeting with the Chair of the NATO Military Committee, Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, who is currently on a visit to Kyiv.

The Deputy Minister informed his counterpart about the current security situation in Ukraine and the developments on the battlefield. He pointed out that, despite the end of the winter season, Russia continues its large-scale attacks against Ukraine. Regardless of diplomatic efforts aimed at reaching peace, Russia consistently carries out missile and drone strikes on Ukrainian cities, damaging critical infrastructure and causing civilian casualties. Thus, the reinforcement of air defence remains one of the key priorities.

In this regard, the Deputy Minister underlined that the PURL initiative, through which Ukraine receives US-made weapons, including missiles for Patriot systems, must continue to operate. Olexandr Mischenko stressed that ensuring proper funding for this initiative and securing corresponding contributions from NATO member states and partner countries is critically important.

Olexandr Mischenko reiterated the importance of developing Ukraine’s defence industry and, therefore, the necessity of increasing allied investment in Ukraine’s defence sector. He noted that, as a supplier of cutting-edge military technologies, Ukraine possesses unparalleled expertise and is willing to share it with its allies.

The parties discussed further ways to strengthen practical cooperation between Ukraine and the Alliance.

The Chair of the NATO Military Committee reaffirmed that the Alliance's support for Ukraine remains unwavering and stressed that the security of Ukraine is inextricably linked to the security of Europe and the Euro-Atlantic region as a whole.