Defense & Geopolitics — 2026-03-22
Senior NATO Delegation Visits Ukraine for First Time Since Full-Scale Invasion; Discusses Exercise Integration
A high-level NATO military delegation led by Admiral Pierre Vendee, Supreme Commander of NATO Joint Forces for Transformation, visited Ukraine on March 22 — the first such visit since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022. The delegation discussed Ukrainian military participation in NATO exercises as a 'conditional enemy' force and the creation of a joint NATO-Ukraine coordination center. Rather than NATO training Ukrainian troops, the arrangement would have Ukrainian specialists 'export' their combat experience from four years of high-intensity warfare to alliance forces.
Analysis
This visit inverts the traditional NATO-Ukraine training relationship — Ukraine is now the provider of operational expertise rather than the recipient. Prior INTSUMs noted NATO withdrew its Iraq training mission due to Iran war spillover; the simultaneous deepening of NATO-Ukraine ties while retreating from Iraq signals a strategic rebalancing of alliance priorities.
This visit inverts the traditional NATO-Ukraine training relationship — Ukraine is now the provider of operational expertise rather than the recipient. Prior INTSUMs noted NATO withdrew its Iraq training mission due to Iran war spillover; the simultaneous deepening of NATO-Ukraine ties while retreating from Iraq signals a strategic rebalancing of alliance priorities.