MOSCOW, March 1. /TASS/. Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov has signed a program of Ukrainian-NATO cooperation for 2024, which involves the continued reconfiguring of the country’s armed forces in compliance with the military bloc’s standards as well as the bolstering of the Kiev regime’s cooperation with the alliance, the website of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry said.

The program consists of implementing 50 steps in order to achieve 17 goals which include completing the transformation of the command and management system in accordance with NATO standards, setting up a joint Ukraine-NATO center for analysis, training and education, developing national documents in the field of defense in compliance with the bloc’s standards and introducing changes to the country’s legislation to boost civilian control of the military.

Ukraine applied to join NATO on a fast-track basis in September 2022, and was assured at the alliance’s summit in Vilnius in July 2023 that it would be admitted if the necessary conditions were met. But, no timetable for its admission was given in Brussels. Meanwhile, the organization has repeatedly pointed to the fact that Ukraine’s accession is impossible while the country remains in a state of armed conflict.

Earlier, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted that the Kiev regime was trying to put pressure on NATO member states over the accession issue. He cautioned that Ukraine’s potential membership will have highly negative consequences for European security and trigger a strong reaction from Russia.