Ukraine’s path to NATO membership is final and non-negotiable: Olha Stefanishyna

Leaders of the democratic world should act towards Ukraine’s NATO membership without looking back at russia’s reaction. This was stated by Olha Stefanishyna, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine, during a panel discussion on Ukraine’s security at the GLOBSEC international security forum in Bratislava, Slovakia.

“The lack of decisions and actions by NATO in recent decades has been described as ‘strategic uncertainty’. This approach by NATO since 2008 has brought us to where we are now (in a state of full-scale war – ed.). Today, this uncertainty must be replaced by the principle of ‘acting and learning as we go’. Only by acting have we learnt to be resilient and to fight back. By acting within the Ramstein format, we have learnt how to coordinate military assistance effectively. By demonstrating unity, we have proved that russia is incapable of achieving any of the stated aims of the war it is waging. Similarly, we must begin to act on Ukraine’s NATO membership without looking back at russia’s reaction. We must act for the sake of our security and our future,” the Deputy Prime Minister stressed.

The official pointed out that Ukraine’s experience in repelling russia’s full-scale aggression allows Europe to formulate a more effective security and defence policy.

“The strengthening of European security mechanisms, the European Peace Facility, joint defence procurement are the changes that Ukraine has brought about. The same is true for NATO. We are ready to share our knowledge and experience gained in unprecedented conditions, which will make NATO stronger. We are not only paying for our choice with our own blood. We are also making the whole of Europe, the whole of the democratic world, stronger, more resilient, more effective. And the world must also pay its price,” Olha Stefanishyna stressed.

The Deputy Prime Minister expressed gratitude to the United States for its leadership in providing military assistance and creating a coalition of more than 40 countries that are working together in the Ramstein format to provide Ukraine with the necessary weapons and equipment:

“This is enough to survive, enough to launch a successful counter-offensive. “The Patriots are saving Ukrainian lives every day. We are alive thanks to your support. But we need more. This is not enough to win.

We are talking about the restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. Anything other than the restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, call it what you will – a ceasefire, political negotiations, rejection of NATO enlargement, etc.; all this means playing by the russian scenario. It could be Minsk-3, it could be a war of attrition. Anything that does not lead to the restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity, security guarantees and NATO membership will mean that we are playing to the russian plan, that we are letting russia go unpunished, and we have to remember that.”

A separate topic in the context of security guarantees was expectations for the upcoming NATO Summit in Vilnius in July this year.

Olha Stefanishyna focused on a number of important elements. Firstly, the main guarantee of security is a developed European defence industry.

“Secondly, NATO membership. We know that if this path is not taken in Vilnius, it will not be taken in Washington next year. The path to Ukraine’s NATO membership is final and non-negotiable. We cannot be decisive on the battlefield and ambiguous in political discussions. This is not the way to go. We are fighting for ourselves, but we know what is at stake. This is the Europe we will live in, and we will defend it. And NATO should also be aware of this,” the Deputy Prime Minister stressed.

For his part, Benjamin Haddad, Member of Parliament of the French Republic, stressed during the discussion that there could be no peaceful and secure Europe without a fully sovereign, free Ukraine. He called for Ukraine to be given everything it needs to succeed in its counter-offensive.

Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Lithuanian Seimas Žygimantas Pavilionis stressed that it was the non-enlargement of NATO that provoked the russian war, and that the only lasting guarantee of security for Ukraine could be its membership of the Alliance.

Background

The GLOBSEC 2023 international security forum is taking place on 29-31 May in Bratislava, Slovakia. This year’s main topics of discussion are Europe’s resilience in the face of war, sustainable support for Ukraine, and ways to mitigate the global consequences of war through global dialogue.