The 11th Kyiv Security Forum, its theme being “Regeneration of Security: A Plan for the World, the Region and Ukraine,” began with two special discussions.
“THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR OF COUNTERING RUSSIA’S AGGRESSION AND ITS HYBRID ACTIONS IS THE WESTERN VALUES AND UNITY”
During the first of them, entitled “The View of International Community on Aggression against Ukraine: Crimea, Donbas, Human Rights,” chairperson of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine’s Committee on Foreign Affairs Hanna HOPKO said in her speech that Ukraine should jointly with the international community develop a strategy of action against Russia aimed at stopping human rights violations in Crimea and the Donbas. According to her, “the sanctions are not a strategy that we would like to see. The sanctions are just a tool being used to put pressure and see a certain outcome being achieved.”
In addition, Hopko stressed the need to block the Nord Stream 2 project. “If this project gets implemented, it will increase Vladimir Putin’s financial capabilities. Therefore, he will have more influence on the situation in Ukraine, including in Crimea and the Donbas,” the MP believes.
Meanwhile, Ambassador of Poland to Ukraine Jan PIEKLO stressed in his speech that the Western values and unity were the most important factor in countering Russia’s aggression and its hybrid actions. However, he acknowledged that it was difficult to achieve, since Russia was trying to destabilize the continent of Europe and the rest of the world.
Pieklo also noted that Poland was a true and genuine ally of Ukraine. “Do not forget that without a democratic Ukraine, there will be no security in the whole of Europe,” he said.
For his part, Ambassador of Canada to Ukraine Roman WASCHUK considers it advisable to document and publish quarterly reports on human rights violations in Crimea and the Donbas, as well as specific stories of people residing there.
According to the ambassador, along with assistance to ensure Ukraine’s external security, we also need to make people feel safe inside the country. “We have to do our homework which is to provide the necessary structure, to gather the necessary evidence on which an appropriate plan will be based,” stressed Waschuk.
Former Foreign Minister of the Republic of Lithuania (2006-08) Petras VAITIEKUNAS expressed his conviction that the international community should help Ukraine in two main directions: “stopping President Putin and implementing reforms.” “The West and Europe should create a success story around Russia. The Russian Federation does not create such stories. And this would provide an incentive for the Russians to follow the suit – after Putin’s rule ends, of course,” he stressed.
“UKRAINE IS FIGHTING ON TWO FRONTS”
US Permanent Representative to NATO Kay Bailey HUTCHISON, who came to Ukraine for the first time, became the star of the second special discussion, called “NATO-Ukraine: Partnered for Peace in Europe.”
In her speech, she said: “Ukraine is fighting on two fronts, firstly, by containing Russian aggression and combating occupation of the Donbas and Crimea, and secondly, you are fighting corruption.”
She also noted that the US had provided Ukraine with military assistance worth 850 million dollars since 2014 and would continue to assist the Ukrainian military so that they could defend themselves. According to her, NATO will continue to support the aspirations of Ukraine and Ukrainians to be free, but it also expects certain steps on the part of this country, in particular, in the legislative field. According to her, it concerns the next steps in the defense reform, in particular the “Law on National Security,” which should introduce civil and democratic control over the military.
At the same time, Hutchison believes that only the fight against corruption and the establishment of democratic institutions, including an independent judiciary and anti-corruption courts, will create a long-term basis for combating foreign interference and ensure development of Ukraine as a modern European nation.
After recounting the latest aggressive actions of Russia, including its aggression in Georgia, Ukraine, cyberattacks, the Montenegrin coup attempt and interference with American elections, Hutchison stressed it was time to rethink one’s strategy on Russia. However, she did not tell how exactly the US would rethink its strategy on aggressive Russia.
“UKRAINE CAN ADD MORE VALUE TO NATO THAN 19 MEMBERS OF THE ALLIANCE”
In his speech, Research Fellow at the Center for Transatlantic Relations of Johns Hopkins University Taras KUZIO listed the current requirements for NATO membership and drew attention to the fact that at present, there is no obstacle for Ukraine’s membership in the North Atlantic Alliance.
Regarding the requirement for territorial integrity, he stressed that Germany had been divided, however, in spite of it having East Germany as an occupied territory, it was accepted into NATO, as was divided Cyprus.
Ukraine also meets the second criterion, he continued, it being the prospective member’s ability to add value to the Alliance. According to him, Ukraine can add more value to NATO than 19 NATO members. And this is due not only to the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ condition or the level of defense spending (over five percent of the GDP), but also due to the vast experience Ukraine has obtained in confronting Russian aggression, its hybrid, cyber, and information warfare.
Kuzio believes that another requirement, namely that of holding a referendum, is not a problem for Ukraine either, given that according to a recent opinion poll, more than 60 percent of likely voters would support NATO membership.
The expert also drew attention to the fact that Russia’s interference and its attempted coup in Montenegro had not prevented that country from joining NATO, although Montenegro was more divided than Ukraine.
“WE WILL SUPPORT UKRAINE AS LONG AS IT WILL CARRY OUT REFORMS”
Subsequently, while answering questions, Hutchison acknowledged that Russia was using every means at its disposal to achieve a split in the EU and NATO. She noted that the path to NATO membership was long, so the US appreciated greatly partnership with non-NATO countries, and not only in Europe, but also in Asia, because it contributed to the spread of the Western values. In her opinion, the Annual National Program, which was recently approved by President Petro Poroshenko, was a good tool on Ukraine’s path to a full membership in NATO.
“Ukraine is an important partner and we support it becoming a NATO member. We will not do business as usual with Russia until it withdraws from Ukraine. We take certain steps and expect a result. And we will support Ukraine as long as it will carry out reforms and strengthen its adherence to the Western values,” Hutchison emphasized.
She also said that the US was working to ensure that a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Commission, which is still being blocked by Hungary, was finally held during the NATO summit in Brussels on July 11-12. “This issue needs to be resolved and we want Hungary and Ukraine to sit down and work on the education law and ultimately put an end to this dispute,” the US ambassador to NATO said.
“UNITY SHOULD MANIFEST ITSELF IN DEEDS, NOT WORDS”
The 11th Kyiv Security Forum was officially opened by a short and dynamic speech delivered by founder of the Open Ukraine Foundation, Prime Minister of Ukraine (2014-16) Arsenii YATSENIUK, who noted that the restoration of independence one hundred years after the revolution of 1917 “was not merely a chance, but a victory for Ukrainian freedom.” And the conclusion to be drawn from the tragedy which the Ukrainian people experienced subsequently is that “Ukraine must be strong.” And this, in his opinion, is possible in the event that Ukraine becomes a member of the EU family and of NATO.
He drew attention to the main challenge – the lack of leadership in the free world, which given recent events, especially the emergence of such a phenomenon as non-liberal democracies in Europe, should reassert the principles of democracy and freedom. “If this leadership does not reappear, dictators will restore their spheres of influence once again. Previously, spheres of influence were restored through negotiations, closed or open. Nowadays, new technologies prevail, so spheres of influence are restored through cyber attacks, information technologies, and brazen aggression. This is what Russia has done regarding Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova. This is what the Russian president is doing in Syria today. This is the ‘might makes right’ approach, as opposed to the power of law,” Yatseniuk emphasized.
And in such a time, he continued, it was important to maintain sanctions and dialog, demonstrate strength and unity, including in economic policy.
In his opinion, a strong Europe will be possible only with the involvement of Ukraine. He emphasized that the EU on the one hand, and NATO on the other, should clarify whether membership in these structures was open to Ukraine.
Besides, he drew attention to the unacceptability of Nord Stream 2 going forward. “Russian aggression is getting support from our partners, since the construction of Nord Stream 2 robs citizens of Ukraine, Poland, and Slovakia of billions of dollars and worsens relations between the EU and the US. Moreover, this project aims to increase Europe’s dependence on Russian gas and will fund the Russian army. So here unity should manifest itself in deeds, not words,” stressed Yatseniuk.
“IT IS PRECISELY RUSSIA’S AGGRESSION AGAINST UKRAINE THAT IS ITS ACHILLES’ HEEL”
Meanwhile, the speech by President of Ukraine Petro POROSHENKO included a lot of quotes and comparisons as well as general statements, but offered no new initiatives.
In particular, he stated that “the world is on the verge of key players making fateful decisions, in order to bring back to reality the one who has lost that sense of reality. Everyone hopes that the worst scenario will be avoided.”
Poroshenko said that it was precisely Russia’s aggression against Ukraine that was its Achilles’ heel, and expressed his conviction that “the path to overall victory certainly runs through our victory in Ukraine.”
Here, he recounted well-known ideas, in particular, saying that deploying a UN peacekeeping mission to the Donbas should be a necessary step to stop the aggression of Russia. However, it is known that Russia will block such a decision at the UN.
Many of his initiatives are clearly overdue, in particular his call on the cabinet to submit to the National Security and Defense Council projects of restrictive measures against the Russian oligarchs... after the US has done so. Why was this not done right after the start of Russian aggression?
The same goes for his statement about Ukraine’s intention to break all relations with the Commonwealth of Independent States, and also his promise to submit shortly to the Verkhovna Rada proposals to unilaterally suspend certain provisions of the “great treaty” on friendship and cooperation with Russia. All this could have been and should have been done long ago.
