While the majority of U.S. citizens support Ukraine, their level of support falls short of meeting the challenges it faces.

Former Senior Executive in the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency Ralph F. Goff stated this during the discussion titled "UKRAINE'S UNBREAKABLE GENERATION: Reflections by General Petraeus – and What Washington Sees," organized by the KSF.

According to Goff, American society is increasingly recognizing the significance of the war in Ukraine as a conflict that goes beyond just two nations; it represents a clash of values and ideologies. Goff emphasized, "Support for Ukraine in the U.S. is strong but insufficient."

At the same time, Goff believes that American society is increasingly recognizing who stands on the side of freedom.

"This is not a war between two countries — it is a struggle of ideas. Our position is much closer to Ukraine's than to russia's," the former intelligence officer emphasized.

He highlighted the importance of the information war, urging Ukraine to enhance its media presence by emphasizing the distinctions between Ukrainians and russians, for example.

“Consider the prisoner exchange — and you’ll understand who the Ukrainians are and what they’re fighting for, and who the russians are and what they’re fighting for,” Goff said.

Goff described how Ukrainian soldiers return from captivity feeling exhausted but proudly holding their flag, hugging their comrades, and kissing the ground of their homeland. In contrast, russians return from captivity well-fed, only to end up either in prison or back on the front lines. According to Goff, these contrasting images best convey the essence of this war to a Western audience.

He also noted that the U.S. is closely studying Ukraine's experience, particularly in terms of decision-making speed, technological adaptation, and the implementation of innovations in the security sector.

However, he believes that the key problem remains American bureaucracy, which slows down the response even when intelligence warns of risks in advance.

“Things are changing very quickly, but we’re still not taking advantage of them fast enough,” Goff acknowledged.

Open Ukraine is an international foundation established by Arseniy Yatsenyuk in July 2007 to strengthen Ukraine's authority in the world. The foundation organizes the Kyiv Security Forum every year. This leading international discussion platform focuses on issues of war and peace. The foundation also organizes the Youth Kyiv Security Forum to develop a new generation of Ukrainian leaders.