Press Release Ukraine

Anders Fogh Rasmussen on outcome of NATO summit and launch of Ukraine Compact

Statement by former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen on the outcome of the 75th anniversary NATO summit and the launch of the Ukraine Compact in Washington D.C.

“Yesterday evening, leaders from 20 countries joined President Biden and President Zelenskyy to launch the Ukraine Compact in Washington D.C. This is an important moment. The Compact brings together a web of long-term bilateral security agreements signed between Ukraine and its partners over the last year. It creates a security framework to ensure that Ukraine has what it needs to defend itself against Russian aggression now and deter it in the future.

“I strongly welcome the Ukraine Compact, which is built on the Kyiv Security Compact that I authored with President Zelenskyy’s Chief-of-Staff Andriy Yermak. For the past two years, Rasmussen Global has worked closely with the Ukrainian President’s Office to promote the need for long-term security guarantees for Ukraine. This war will only end when Vladimir Putin understands that Ukraine’s allies are committed for as long as it takes, and to give as much as it takes for Ukraine to win. The Ukraine Compact formalizes that resolve.

“Alongside the Compact, the announcements on NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine, a permanent representative in Kyiv, and a new $40 billion yearly commitment from allies are welcome. However, the Washington Summit disappointed on the bigger strategic question: Ukraine’s path to membership.

“Despite promises that Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic integration is irreversible, Ukraine remains stuck in NATO’s waiting room. The only way of showing Vladimir Putin that our commitment is truly irreversible is by opening accession talks with Ukraine to join the alliance. Leaders should have taken that bold step in Washington, instead they leave a shadow of a doubt that Putin will continue to exploit.”

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