Turkey helping Ukraine achieve NATO standards: Experts

By Talha Yavuz

KIEV, Ukraine (AA) - Ukraine's recent defense deals with Turkey are helping the country transition to modern NATO standards, experts have told Anadolu Agency.

Ukraine's Defense Ministry on Dec. 14, 2020 signed several agreements with Turkey on technology and the production of Turkish-made drones.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Mykhailo Samus, Deputy Director of International Relations at the Center for Army, Conversion and Disarmament Studies, said Ukraine is looking for its new place in the region and the world since conflict broke out with Russia in 2014, stressing the importance of Kiev's cooperation with Turkey.

Samus said Ukraine wants to join NATO as soon as possible and added that defense cooperation with Turkey was important for the country's transition from post-Soviet-era standards to modern NATO systems.

Adding that EU countries, except the Czech Republic and Poland, as well as Romania and the Baltic countries, did not favor cooperation, he said Ukraine was currently engaged in "mutually beneficial cooperation" with Turkey, which he said was "a reliable strategic partner" for Ukraine in the region.

Ukraine will continue developing Turkey's ADA-class corvette warship technology, Samus said, adding that it would be important for Kiev to improve its military capabilities against security threats in the Black Sea.

Denys Moskalyk, coordinator for International Policy at Center for Political Studies "Doctrine", said there are many factors at play in Ukraine-Turkey defense cooperation.

He said Ankara has progressed in digital technologies, while Ukraine has advanced production technologies. The two countries complement each other, he added.

Noting that Turkish drones had allowed Azerbaijan to advance quickly to liberate its Nagorno-Karabakh region from Armenian occupation, Moskalyk underlined that this conflict had highlighted the power of drones in modern warfare.