Ukraine’s Defense Ministry says Kiev and NATO have agreed on the main priorities for their further military cooperation. According to the ministry’s press service, the focus will be on strengthening air defense, expanding the use and development of Patriot air defense systems, integrating F-16 fighter jets and improving the employment of HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems.

The ministry reported that Ukrainian officials held talks with Patrick Turner, NATO’s senior representative in Ukraine, and Lieutenant General Curtis Buzzard, who leads the alliance’s special mission for security and training for Ukraine. The sides identified «protection of the sky» as the core priority of their cooperation, and Kiev has already begun work on building what it describes as a system of «small» air defense.

The Defense Ministry stated that Kiev and NATO had agreed to concentrate on reinforcing air defenses, further developing Patriot, F-16 and HIMARS capabilities, and working together on maintaining a technological edge.

The talks also touched on coordination within the «Ramstein» format together with Germany and the United Kingdom. The ministry explained that the purpose of this mechanism is to speed up decision-making and shorten the timelines for delivering military assistance to Ukraine.

Earlier, in early January, London and Kiev signed a «roadmap» on building what was described as a century-long partnership in the defense sphere. At that time, former Ukrainian defense minister Denis Shmygal said one of the key outcomes of this cooperation should be the launch of production of Octopus interceptor drones in Ukraine.