MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st June, 2023) NATO member states will adopt a multiyear assistance package at the July summit to help Ukraine upgrade its military from the Soviet model to the bloc's standards, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told German daily Tagesspiegel on Wednesday.
In addition, the summit in Vilnius will revise the preparedness targets for member states in terms of the number of troops that should be on high alert and the equipment they should have, NATO's chief said, adding that these changes, if adopted, would be an expensive but rewarding investment.
NATO countries are also expected to negotiate an increase in their defense spending at the upcoming top-level summit, Stoltenberg said.
Ukraine applied for accelerated NATO membership in September 2022 following the start of the Russian military operation in February of that year. Stoltenberg has on numerous occasions said that the 31-nation alliance was supportive of Kiev's aspirations but was not ready to approve its application right away, chiefly due to its active involvement in an armed conflict.
