Rasmussen: Ukraine may ask for military aid NATO states, not alliance as a whole
BRUSSELS. May 16 (Interfax) - NATO Secretary General Andres Fogh Rasmussen said at a Bratislava conference on Thursday the alliance as an organization did not possess military or intelligence equipment it could provide to Ukraine because the equipment was owned by its member countries.
"Let me remind you that NATO does not possess equipment, NATO does not have an intelligence service as an organization. We are dependent on individual allies," Rasmussen said, adding, "So the question about equipment, intelligence cooperation, etc. - that's the issue that should be addressed at the bilateral level between Ukraine and individual allies."
According to the secretary general, Ukraine had asked Brussels for assistance and NATO responded positively in the areas where it could help.
It has been decided to broaden partnership in the military reform and modernization of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and to build up operative interaction, for instance, via the Ukrainian engagement in NATO exercises.
The secretary general reminded reporters about a significant difference between the status of a NATO member country and a partner, which Ukraine was. Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, which declares collective defense, is applicable to NATO members only, he said.