KIEV, Dec. 17 - The Defense Ministry said that this year the department has significantly improved its performance in all areas.

The Defense Ministry held a staff meeting in Kiev on December 13 to assess the performance of Ukraine's Armed Forces in 2012 and identify its targets for 2013, the ministry's press service reported.

"The Ukrainian Defense Ministry managed to stop the decline in 2012. We felt that we have enough resources and the next year we need to secure a positive result," First Deputy Defense Minister Oleksandr Oliynyk has said.