The Minister of Defense of Ukraine Andrii Taran in his address delivered on March 11 to the leadership of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and the General Staff emphasized that the Armed Forces of Ukraine would not be able to fully adapt to NATO standards in the near future.

This statement had been intentionally misinterpreted by some Ukrainian media and politicians. In this connection to avoid the excessive politicization of the issue we need to make sure the statement is clear.

In 2019 Ukraine adopted amendments to the Constitution clearly identifying the strategy towards achieving the Euro-Atlantic integration.

In order to achieve the interoperability between the defense forces of Ukraine and the Alliance forces, Ukraine is participating in the developing the partnership goals which are the basis for the implementation of the necessary NATO documents in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine has set up a clear process of monitoring the NATO standards implementation in the Armed Forces regular activities.

In 2020 the new partnership goals will be identified for the next two years.

Such cooperation will definitely enhance capabilities of Ukraine to defend its independence and territorial integrity.

The Minister of Defense of Ukraine has set up the clear objectives for the Ministry to the year of 2020 which are to maximize the ability of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to interoperate with the Alliance as well as expedite technological modernization using the latest technologies and building the thought-out weapon development program.

He also stressed that this can be achieved only with the help and assistance from the NATO strategic partners.

The ultimate goal of Ukraine is to return all its temporarily occupied territories, stop Russian military aggression and restore international order and peace crudely violated for the first time since 1945.

And nobody but NATO will help Ukraine to achieve this.

There is clear understanding that the only way to build strong and self-sustainable Armed Forces which are above expectations lays through the close cooperation with the NATO allies.

Mr. Taran was appointed as the Minister of Defence of Ukrain on March 4, 2020.

He is a 1972 graduate of the Kyiv Higher Military & Engineering Air Defence Academy with a Bachelor’s Degree “Engineer in Radio electronics”. 2nd Lieutenant Taran started his commissioned military career as an Air Defence Missile officer. In 1987, upon completion the Army Air Defence Military College with a Master of Military Sciences Degree, he served as a Deputy Commander of an Air Defence Missile Regiment. Mr. Taran holds a Master of Science Degree in National Resource Strategy from the U.S. National Defence University.

During his military service Mr. Taran occupied various command and staff positions in the Armed Forces, the Ministry of Defence and the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine, including a State Expert in the Strategic Planning and Analysis Centre and the Head of the Military & Diplomatic Directorate. His foreign experience includes such posts as the Defence and Military Attaché at the Embassy of Ukraine to the United States and the Representative of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, the Military Adviser to the Permanent Mission of Ukraine to the United Nations.

Mr. Taran participated in the Anti-Terrorist Operation in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. He was the Commanding Officer for the Ukrainian part of the Joint Centre for Control and Coordination on ceasefire and stabilization of the contact line. He contributed to the Minsk Trilateral Contact Group activities (Security issues) aimed at peaceful settlement of the crisis in Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

He retired from active duty in 2016 as the First Deputy Army Commander in the rank of Lieutenant General.

More information about newly appointed Ukrainian Minister of Defense could be found here:

http://www.mil.gov.ua/en/ministry-of-defence-leader/andrii-taran.html.