On September 17, the Minister of Defense of Ukraine Andrii Zahorodniuk held a meeting with the representatives of the Military Diplomatic Corps of the NATO and EU member states which are accredited in Ukraine.

Before the meeting, foreign military diplomats, together with the leadership of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and the Armed Forces of Ukraine attended a commemoration ceremony for the fallen Ukrainian defenders in the Memory Hall.

During the briefing, Andrii Zahorodniuk expressed words of gratitude to the representatives of the partner states for the unwavering support of Ukraine in different spheres and emphasized the immutability of the strategic course of our country. Minister of Defense also stressed the importance of strategic relations and informed foreign guests on the main reform priorities of the Ministry.

"The first and uncompromising priority for us is Euro-Atlantic integration", - emphasized Andrii Zahorodniuk. "We have clearly defined NATO membership as our strategic goal, so we are now focusing on building closer relations with our partners, increasing the number of international events and introducing NATO standards within the Ministry of Defense and the Armed Forces of Ukraine".

The Minister of Defense also informed military attaches on the progress of the defense reform in Ukraine and stressed that it is urgent today to ensure transparency and budget efficiency, to conduct procurements based on zero tolerance for any manifestations of corruption and abuse in this area, the transition to modern military education system standards, etc.

"We need to achieve rapid and qualitative changes in the principles of manning and personnel motivation, to fight for talented people and to introduce Western-style leadership, including through the professionalization of our servicemen and employees and also through the development of the professional military education", - emphasized Andrii Zahorodniuk. "The support from NATO and the EU states has been and remains crucial for us in this endeavor".

Speaking about defense reform plans, the Minister of Defense stressed the need to create an optimal structure capable of addressing the full range of existing and potential threats and introducing a new defense management model that would include democratic civilian control in accordance with NATO standards and principles.

Talking to the representatives of the Military Diplomatic Corps, Andrii Zahorodniuk assured them of maintaining and expanding the military-political dialogue with NATO and EU leadership, as well as fulfilling all international commitments and cooperation programs between the defense departments of Ukraine and partner states.