Arseniy Yatsenyuk at Kyiv Security Forum: Lack of Action Allows Totalitarian Regimes to Cross Red Lines. Ukraine Needs Very Clear Prospects from EU and NATO

“The lack of action allows totalitarian and dictatorship regimes to cross dozens of red lines. The defense of NATO member states and of Ukraine in the future is not a mere, written on paper, Article 5 of the Washington Treaty, but the implementation of this article: an attack against one of the states-members of the Alliance means an attack on all of them,” Arseniy Yatsenyuk, the leader of the People’s Front Party, stressed at the opening of the 11^th Kyiv Security Forum on Thursday, April 12.

The European Union, as Arseniy Yatsenyuk noted, shared Ukraine’s aspirations for membership in the European Union: “The NATO says that the door for Ukraine is open. I want to make sure if it is true or not. I think there should be only one answer for our European partners: “Yes, we want a strong united Europe, whereof Ukraine is a member.” The answer to our NATO allies should be: “Yes, Ukraine will be a member of NATO because we, the NATO, want to be stronger, and Ukraine is strong.”

The leader of the People’s Front Party stressed that the European Union, its integrity, and European democracy were in jeopardy: “There are many world trends that lead to the disintegration of the EU. The European Union is the achievement of civilization, an example of freedom. This is where the Ukrainian nation strives. That is why we request a very clear prospect for Ukraine from our European partners.”

The same applies to NATO membership: “This is the only powerful system of world security. I emphasize – the system of world security, not a military bloc. That is why the defense of NATO member states and of Ukraine in the future is not a mere, written on paper, Article 5 of the Washington Treaty, but the implementation of this article: an attack against one of the states-members of the Alliance means an attack on all of them”.

“This should not be just words but clear actions. Indeed, the lack of action allows totalitarian and dictatorship regimes to cross dozens of red lines, which are pushed away further and further,” Arseniy Yatsenyuk stressed.

The leader of the People’s Front Party stressed that this year a hundred years of restoration of the Ukrainian statehood was celebrated – “a hundred years ago when the Ukrainian nation restored its statehood and the right for the future,”.

“History has arranged so that a hundred years ago we did not manage to maintain our independence. But history is fair to those who are struggling. And we have regained the status of an independent state,” he said.

However, the challenges present one hundred years ago remain today. The leader of the People’s Front Party stressed: “The loss of independence had dramatic consequences for the Ukrainian state: repressions, famines, Bolshevism, communism, Stalinism, and the destruction of the gene of the Ukrainian state. The restoration of independence is not just a chance, it’s a victory for Ukraine’s freedom.”

“Ukraine must be strong. Which Ukraine is strong? The one that fights against Russian aggression, fights for its independence. Ukraine, which is a member of the European Union family and a member of NATO,” he emphasized. 

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The annual international event Kyiv Security Forum was launched by the Arseniy Yatsenyuk Foundation Open Ukraine in 2007 as a platform for high-level discussions on the current issues in Europe and the Black Sea region. The Forum aims at increasing security cooperation between the EU and the Black Sea region, raising awareness about regional developments among key regional players, promoting the role of independent and non-governmental actors in setting the security agenda in Europe.

The event is being held with the support of NATO Information and Documentation Center in Ukraine, the German Marshall Fund, The Victor Pinchuk Foundation, The Royal Institute of International Relations, Chatham House (UK), and The Regional Representative Office of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation in Ukraine.