The International Task Force on Security and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine, co-chaired by Head of the Presidential Office Andriy Yermak and former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, has published a report with a rationale for the necessity of Ukraine's future membership in NATO and concrete proposals for it.
First of all, the document states that at the NATO Summit, which will take place in July in Washington, the Alliance should extend an invitation to Ukraine to begin membership talks and invite the Ukraine-NATO Council to specify the terms of membership.
"A credible prospect of NATO membership is a way to convince Russia that it has nothing to gain from waging war. Inviting Ukraine to start accession talks now is a way to send a clear message to Russia that it needs to end the war and give Ukraine a chance for a just peace," the report emphasizes.
The Rasmussen-Yermak International Task Force proposes to set a clear timeframe for Ukraine's accession to NATO – no later than July 2028, subject to the fulfillment of specific conditions.
It is also proposed to strengthen the efforts of Ukraine and its allies aimed at hindering Russia's operational success in the air, at sea and on the ground, lifting all reservations on the types of conventional weapons supplied to Ukraine and, importantly, on how they can be used against military targets in Russia.
The International Task Force emphasizes the need to unify the set of bilateral security agreements between Ukraine and its partners into an international compact. In particular, its goal is to build up Ukraine's Armed Forces so that they can reach a size and structure strong enough to defend against a future Russian attack and strengthen NATO's collective defense by the end of the decade.
It is proposed that NATO members commit to spending 0.25% of their GDP on military aid to Ukraine, as well as unlocking $300 billion in frozen Russian assets and using them to support Ukraine.
Head of the Presidential Office Andriy Yermak emphasized that failure to extend an invitation to Ukraine at the Washington Summit could further intensify Russian aggression.
"Strong and clear decisions at the NATO Summit in July will be extremely important for the future just peace in Ukraine and the entire Euro-Atlantic region. They will also be a good motivation and strong support for the Ukrainian military and all our citizens," he emphasized.
Anders Fogh Rasmussen is convinced that Ukraine's victory and the establishment of a sustainable peace require bold action on the part of NATO.
"NATO leaders need to make clear that our support for Ukraine’s security and sovereignty is irreversible. This report sets out clear measures to achieve that through enhanced economic and military support to contain and end Putin’s war. It also recommends NATO leaders open accession talks with Ukraine at the Washington D.C. summit in July. Bringing Ukraine into NATO is the surest path to lasting peace and security in Europe," he emphasized.
The document was signed by members of the task force:
Former President of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaitė
Former President of Poland Aleksander Kwaśniewski
Former Prime Minister of Finland Sanna Marin
Former Prime Minister of Poland Marek Belka
Former Prime Minister of Slovakia Mikuláš Dzurinda
Former Prime Minister of Sweden Carl Bildt
Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson
Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
Former Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of National Defense Peter MacKay
Former French Minister of Foreign Affairs, Interior and Defense Michèle Alliot-Marie
Former British Foreign Secretary Lord William Hague
Former U.S. Ambassador to NATO Ivo Daalder
U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations Kurt Volker
Former National Security Advisor of Canada Jody Thomas
Former Supreme Allied Commander Europe of NATO Wesley Clark
Former NATO Assistant Secretary General Heinrich Brauss
Former NATO Assistant Secretary General Giedrimas Jeglinskas