Lt. Gen. Douglas Lute suggested to create a “Ukraine-NATO” Council prior to Ukraine’s accession to the Alliance

Today, Ukraine has the best equipped army in Europe with the most expansive combat experience.

This was stated by Lt. Gen. Douglas Lute, United States Permanent Representative to NATO in 2013-17, at the 15^th annual Kyiv Security Forum, established by the Arseniy Yatsenyuk’s “Open Ukraine” Foundation.

He emphasized that the collective agreement about the creation of NATO provides for three key membership criteria in the Alliance.

“First, a country aspiring to become a member must be able to contribute to collective defense. Today, Ukraine obviously meets this criterion. Let’s be honest, today Ukraine has the best equipped army in Europe. This is a fact of life. In addition, it has the most expansive combat experience. That is, there is no doubt about this criterion,” the general said.

The second criterion is the requirement for an aspiring state to adhere to NATO’s core values – democracy, individual freedoms, and the rule of law.

“This is a question to Ukrainians. It is necessary for Ukrainians to put this question to their leadership, namely, to what an extent Ukraine does correspond to these three basic values. This is a work in progress,” Douglas Lute emphasized.

The third requirement for the membership is the one of consensus: “Sweden has not yet been able to become a member of the Alliance, because there are no 31 votes in favor.”

“Even if we fail to reach a consensus during these 6 weeks (on issue of Ukraine’s membership during the time remaining before the Vilnius Summit – ed.), we need to codify security assurances – equipment training, intelligence information exchange, anything to allow the Armed Forces to defend Ukraine today. The above should be determined bilaterally, not across all 31 countries. In addition, NATO can offer Ukraine a unique and special relationship with the Alliance – to this purpose something along the lines of “Ukraine-NATO” Council can be created, – he believes.

The General specified that such a format could give Ukraine the right to convene the North Atlantic Council at any time.

“This will ensure Ukraine’s place at the table any time Ukraine feels threatened. And this will certainly be an appropriate platform to discuss security issues that Ukraine is faced with today. Currently, there is one NATO Council with a non-member country, and it is the NATO-Russia Council. I suggest replacing the “NATO-Russia” Council with the “NATO-Ukraine” Council and place Ukraine at the table. Indeed, this does not mean membership in the Alliance, but this is a step that should be taken,” the expert noted.

Noteworthy, the 15^th annual Kyiv security forum “For Our and Your Freedom/ Fighting for NATO” will be held on May 25-26, 2023, with the participation of well-known international figures. In particular, at the Forum, the KSF Security Council will be formed and a policy document will be adopted with recommendations for the NATO summit in Vilnius to be held this July.