KYIV. Feb 22 (Interfax) - Kyiv supports NATO's efforts to reinforce its eastern flank, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said.
"Ukraine unconditionally supports and welcomes NATO's efforts to reinforce its eastern flank, to protect its member-states from the Russian Federation's hostile incursions," Poroshenko said during a conference of the Ukrainian Armed Forces top brass in Kyiv on Wednesday.
Some 70,000 Ukrainian volunteers joined the Ukrainian Armed Forces under contracts last year, Poroshenko said. "Another 4,500 people have enlisted in the Ukrainian Armed Forces since the beginning of this year," he said.
He attributed the need to bolster the Ukrainian army's combat readiness to the upcoming presidential elections in Russia.
"The non-competitive presidential elections in Russia, which will take place next year, are already an extra reason to boost the Ukrainian Armed Forces' combat readiness. It is clear after all that muscle-flexing is the main election method. The hostile policies against Ukraine and the rest of the outer world, to my regret, enjoy the support of Russian voters. As they once said, 'the people and the party are united'," Poroshenko said.