The Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak and former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen took part in the Security and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine discussion panel at the Copenhagen Democracy Summit, where they presented the Official Report of the International Task Force on Security and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine.
The Head of the Presidential Office emphasized that the report recommends inviting Ukraine to join NATO at the Washington summit and considering specific terms of our country's membership in the Alliance.
“We need concrete support from the world and strong steps. We are looking not for short-term security commitments but for long-term ones, the ones for the future. And the strongest commitment is NATO membership. The Ukrainians' will is to be part of the EU and NATO. Now is a critical moment, and it is necessary to support Ukraine and motivate our heroes who are now defending not only Ukraine but also the democracy in the entire world on the frontline,” he emphasized.
The International Task Force offers to lift all reservations on the types of conventional weapons supplied to Ukraine and on the ways they can be used against the military objectives of the aggressor country
Ukraine and its partner countries should consolidate the bilateral security agreements into an international compact.
The report of the International Task Force proposes to oblige NATO member states to spend 0.25% of their GDP on military assistance to Ukraine, as well as to unblock frozen Russian assets worth $300 billion and use them to support our country.
Anders Fogh Rasmussen noted that the report prepared by the Task Force contains three specific points aimed at helping Ukraine: lifting all restrictions on arms supplies, deploying air defense systems along NATO's eastern border, and inviting Ukraine to join the Alliance during the Washington summit.
“I don't think we should accept the argument that we cannot invite Ukraine while the war is ongoing. If we accept this argument, we will de facto give Putin an incentive to continue the war,” the former NATO Secretary General believes.
Andriy Yermak added that the key conclusion of the report is very simple: Ukraine should receive an invitation to join the Alliance in the near future.
“Many people think this is impossible while the war is ongoing. That is not true. With proper determination, anything is possible. We have proved this more than once,” the Head of the Presidential Office summarized.