NATO-Ukraine JATEC Centre launched in Poland
Poland held the first high-level meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Joint Analysis, Training, and Education Centre (JATEC), the first joint NATO-Ukraine institution aimed at strengthening Ukraine’s defence capabilities and accelerating NATO membership.
As reported by Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence, the decision to establish JATEC was agreed at the NATO summit in Washington in July 2024, and it has been opened in the Polish city of Bydgoszcz.
Deputy Defence Minister Stanislav Haider stated that the joint centre with NATO will assist Ukraine in not only implementing its procedures, techniques, and standards, but also sharing its own experience.
"Interoperability is one of our main goals and we are taking concrete steps for this. We have provided our proposals for the implementation of projects and expect substantive decisions," he said.
Poland feels that starting a joint centre with NATO is a significant step towards Ukraine's admission into the Alliance.
According to the Defence Ministry, the parties officially established the centre and defined its primary tasks, structure, positions, and leadership functions. The parties also agreed that the centre should be formally established between October and November of this year.
Another point of discussion in the negotiations is assuring the centre's operations, namely the necessity for NATO resources to implement activities and establish an information and communication network.
Representatives from Ukraine and NATO also agreed on the importance of launching projects as soon as feasible as part of JATEC efforts.
Specifically, Ukraine presented a list of 70 cooperative projects and indicated which ones should be prioritised.
JATEC's aim is to achieve interoperability between Ukraine's security and defence institutions and the relevant institutions of the Alliance, improve educational quality, increase the analytical component, and provide staff training.
Olha Stefanishyna, Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, said Ukraine will join the North Atlantic Alliance as a sovereign and independent country within its 1991 borders, and no other options have been discussed.
European Pravda analysed the suggestion of Ukraine’s accession to NATO "by parts" last year and explained why it may be dangerous.
The Ukrainian authorities admitted that the Alliance would not provide an accession invitation for Kyiv until the end of the war.
Petr Pavel, President of Czechia, believes that Ukraine’s NATO accession should not depend on regaining full control over all its territory.