British Ambassador Melinda Simmons stated that the requirement for operational interoperability of the Ukrainian army with NATO armies was fulfilled even before the start of a full-scale war, but now there is a need for institutional reform of defense mechanisms in Ukraine.
She told about this in an interview with "Interfax-Ukraine" agency.
"And frankly, the only thing that this war did that no one wanted was that it showed how well the Ukrainian Armed Forces are capable of operating with standard NATO equipment. But in fact, we knew that before the war. I'm sorry that they had to pass the test in this, but we already knew that the problem was not interoperability, in the sense that it was already done, it was about the institutional reform of defense mechanisms, defense procurement, defense human resources, etc., where, as we all know, there is still a lot of work to be done Simmons explained.
The ambassador emphasized that this reform is necessary not only for the question of whether or not Ukraine will join NATO, it is important in order to have a strong Armed Forces in the future.
According to the ambassador, there is also a close connection between the need for significant defense reforms and the political decision regarding Ukraine's accession to NATO.
"I think there's an element of a political solution to all of this. It always has been and always will be. I don't think it's discounted. But I also think there's a close connection between the need for substantial reform and a political solution, because if if you don't make progress on these essential reforms, you'll give a very convenient reason for those who may be less interested in continuing to expand membership," Simmons said.
