That NATO summit at which Ukraine finally joins the Alliance will truly be historic – a process that began back in 2008. This was stated by Arseniy Yatsenyuk, Chairman of the Kyiv Security Forum and Prime Minister of Ukraine from 2014 to 2016, during a special discussion at the Kyiv Security Forum entitled ‘NATO Summit in Ankara: Decisions, Challenges and the Way Forward’.

“We started the process of Ukraine’s accession to NATO back in 2008, when I was Speaker of Parliament. We appealed to the Alliance to provide us with a Membership Action Plan. But for practically the next 18 years, we have seen delays. At the same time, the Alliance has done an incredible amount for Ukraine, shouldering both the financial and military burdens. We have been standing up to Russia for at least 12 years. Putin has failed to capture Ukraine and he never will,” he noted.

Yatsenyuk identified air defence missiles and deterrents as Ukraine’s key requirements. “First and foremost, we urgently need air defence systems and means of deterring the enemy – long-range weapons. Every night, Russia launches ballistic missile strikes on Ukraine. Last night, even the air-raid warning system failed to go off on time: first we heard explosions in Kyiv, and only then, after 1–2 minutes, did the sirens start to sound,” said the Chairman of the KSF.

Addressing Ukraine’s allies, Yatsenyuk emphasised the conditions for Ukraine’s victory – turning the screws” on Russia, increasing Ukraine’s production capacity and securing air defence systems.

The discussion took place in the Ukrainian capital as part of the new project ‘Kyiv Security Forum: Deep Strike’ – a series of expert discussions on pressing issues and key trends in Ukraine’s security, economy and foreign policy.

Participants in the discussion included Arseniy Yatsenyuk, Chairman of the Kyiv Security Forum, Prime Minister of Ukraine (2014–2016); and Danylo Lubkivsky, Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine (2014), Member of the Security Council, Kyiv Security Forum. Joining online were Tanya Hartman, Head, Policy East Team, Political Affairs and Security Policy Division, NATO HQ; Ambassador William Taylor, Distinguished Fellow, Atlantic Council, U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine (2006–2009; 2019–2020); Ambassador Kurt Volker, US Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations (2017–2019); Marcin Buzanski, Director of the European Office of the Kyiv Security Forum (Brussels). The discussion was moderated by Mark Lobel, a BBC journalist and BBC presenter.

A video recording of the discussion is available in Ukrainian here and in English here.

The Kyiv Security Forum (KSF), founded by the Arseniy Yatsenyuk Open Ukraine Foundation, is Ukraine’s leading international discussion platform on issues of war and peace. Prominent international leaders, politicians, diplomats, experts, activists, and journalists participate in KSF events. The platform operates on several levels simultaneously: keeping Ukraine in the spotlight of the global agenda; expanding our country’s circle of international partners; and building expertise on current security issues.