site.btaFull-fledged Membership in NATO Is Ukraine's Ultimate Goal, Ukraine's Defence Minister Umerov

Addressing the participants in the NATO Parliamentary Assembly Spring Session in Sofia on Monday via videoconference, Ukraine’s Defence Minister Rustem Umerov said that full-fledged membership in the Alliance is his country’s ultimate goal.

"NATO means security, and I am convinced that Ukraine’s accession to the Alliance will be a mutually beneficial step to further strengthen security in Europe and the world," Umerov said.

He noted that in recent weeks Russian troops have invaded the Kharkiv region, adding that they are "disregarding the huge losses, they are pushing with tanks, armored personnel carriers, and infantry 'waves'". "Thanks to the courage of our military we have been able to held back these attacks," Umerov added.

"It is very difficult for us because we lack weapons. We are particularly short of artillery shells and air defence systems. Russia is trying to destroy everything it cannot capture, continues to kill and terrorize civilians, innocent people," the Ukrainian Defence Minister said.

"We need more anti-aircraft weapons, more long-range capabilities for our soldiers," he said and called on neighbouring NATO member states that cannot provide Ukraine with their air defence systems to find ways to close the skies over Ukraine’s western regions from their territory.