Defence spending in Ukraine won't be cut - Yatseniuk

"This year we have allocated almost 100 billion hryvnias [over 4.5 billion US dollars], on funding of the Defence Ministry due to the efforts of the Finance Minister," he said. Yatseniuk noted the need of reforming the Ukrainian Armed Forces, especially to increase the number of contract and professional soldiers in the army. "Peace won't be presented to anyone on a silver platter. Peace must be fought for, and a strong Ukrainian Armed Forces are the guarantee of peace and stability in Ukraine," Yatseniuk said. According to him, one of the most relevant tasks for the country now is "for Ukraine to join NATO de facto, before the actual official joining of the Alliance." "It means that the Ukrainian Armed Forces must be completely in line with all of the logistics and standards of NATO member states, and Ukrainian servicemen should have corresponding skills and training," Yatseniuk added. In turn, Defence Minister Stepan Poltorak said that the number of contract soldiers in the army was growing.