Today at 19:23
The results of russia’s full-scale military aggression against Ukraine will determine what the future will look like for decades to come. It is also an important test for all the institutions that were established after the Second World War, and which are supposed to guarantee peace and security throughout the world.
This was stated by the Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine Olha Stefanishyna in a video address to the participants of “XXIV. High Level Meeting” – an event organized on the sidelines of the 77th UN General Assembly by NGIC.
“Western politicians, experts, military did not believe that Ukraine would stand up during this invasion. But today, after seven months of bloody and brutal war, we are no longer talking about russian tanks on the Ukrainian-Polish border. Instead, the world has united and is thinking about how to help Ukraine win, how democracy and freedom can win,” the Deputy Prime Minister said and emphasized that this had become possible thanks to the heroism, courage and professionalism of the Ukrainian military, volunteers, citizens as well as international support. The Government official also stressed the importance of military aid to Ukraine and continued sanctions pressure on russia.
Olha Stefanishyna noted that Ukraine today has one of the strongest armies, which, in fact, already protects NATO’s eastern flank. Ukraine was also and remains a reliable ally of the Alliance even during a full-scale war.
“We are successfully countering what was considered one of the strongest armies in the world. This is the experience that no NATO country has. And I would like to emphasize that Ukraine has already implemented many practices and standards of the Alliance. In particular, best practices regarding deterrence, stability and military activity,” said the Deputy Prime Minister. – “The war brought tectonic changes to the political and military landscape of Europe. Today, there can be no doubt that Ukraine has earned its rightful place in the transatlantic family.”
The Government official noted that Ukraine remains committed to the transatlantic course, but today concrete actions are needed to strengthen its defense capabilities and security. Olha Stefanishyna emphasized the importance of providing Ukraine with international security guarantees even on the way to NATO. In particular, she focused on proposals for concluding the Kyiv Security Compact, which were developed by a group of international and Ukrainian experts.
She called on Ukrainian partners to work together to implement this initiative. In particular, it should “provide leverage to deter russia and prevent any other full-scale wars on our continent.”
