NATO secretary general to signal start of civilian exercises in Lviv region

"In the course of the visit, the Ukrainian president and the [NATO] secretary general will signal the start of the Ukraine-NATO exercises practicing the cleanup of emergency situations, Ukraine 2015, at the Yavoriv range in the Lviv region. In addition, the president has invited the alliance leader to a theme meeting of the National Security and Defence Council (NSDC) dedicated to the Ukrainian security and defense reforms," the Ukrainian presidential press service said on Friday. "These are not military exercises; they will be held by NATO but they are international civilian exercises dedicated to the cleanup of emergency situations. Ukraine has hosted exercises of this kind before," Ukrainian Deputy Defence Minister Ihor Dolhov said earlier. After the exercises begin, Stoltenberg will go to Kyiv "to attend other events," Dolhov said. "Two new programs a project in the field of demining and the promotion of Ukraine's capacities in the field of strategic communications will kick off during the visit of the alliance secretary general to Ukraine," the deputy minister said. The NATO Support and Procurement Organization and the Ukrainian Defence Ministry have approved a supplementary agreement "to enable the delivery of materials and machinery to Ukraine for the reform of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' logistics system."