Kravchuk: NATO presence at parade an important step towards cooperation with alliance
He said this at a press conference entitled "Twenty-six years later... Where is Ukraine today?" at Ukrinform on Wednesday.
"Tomorrow we will see our new equipment, the Ukrainian army and NATO soldiers on Khreshchatyk. I think that the presence of these soldiers is a very important step towards recognizing the Ukrainian army as being ready for cooperation with NATO. This is a step towards NATO," Kravchuk said.
He also emphasized the importance of Ukraine's accession to NATO.
"I am convinced that without an alliance and accession to NATO, given such an international situation and such a neighbor (Russia), we will not be able to survive," Kravchuk said.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak stated earlier that ten units of different countries, include nine from NATO countries, would participate in a military parade in Kyiv on Independence Day.
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