Representatives of the NATO–Ukraine Joint Analysis, Training and Education Center (JATEC) joined the final phase of the Loyal Dolos 2025 exercise, which focused on assessing the combat readiness of NATO units.
The lessons learned from Russia’s war against Ukraine were integrated into the exercise scenario to prepare troops for combat in a constantly evolving battlefield environment. Ukrainian experts were involved in NATO drills of this kind for the first time.
Colonel Valerii Vyshnivskyi, Ukraine’s senior national representative at JATEC, said that the participation of Ukrainian experts in exercises tied to NATO’s Article 5 framework carries “strategic significance” for Ukraine. He stressed that this marks the first time Ukrainian representatives have been involved in practicing the Alliance’s collective defense mechanisms.
This participation, he said, contributed to NATO’s recognition of Ukraine as “one of the most experienced participants” in the regional security system and underscored the importance of close coordination with Ukraine’s security and defense forces.
About 1,500 military and civilian specialists across multiple European countries took part in the drills, jointly assessing whether a NATO rapid reaction corps is fully prepared to carry out combat missions as an integrated Alliance formation. The exercise was coordinated by a steering group from the Joint Force Training Center in Bydgoszcz, Poland, making the training comprehensive and as close to real-world conditions as possible.
General Staff noted that these exercises were NATO’s flagship training event of the year. The primary focus was on land operations integrated with other domains, in line with NATO’s plans to build more cohesive and flexible armed forces.
Article 5 of the NATO Charter (the 1949 Washington Treaty) enshrines the principle of collective defense, stating that an attack against one or more NATO member states is considered an attack against all. In this case, each member commits to assist the attacked ally, including, if necessary, the use of armed force to restore and maintain security.
On Dec. 15, CNN, citing U.S. officials, reported that President Donald Trump has offered Ukraine what were described as “platinum” security guarantees, while warning that these guarantees will not last indefinitely.
On Dec. 13, Axios reported that the Trump administration is prepared to provide Ukraine with legally binding security guarantees modeled on NATO’s Article 5. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Kyiv and Washington are discussing bilateral security guarantees analogous to Article 5 of the NATO treaty.