Victor Pinchuk Foundation and YES Held Discussion “No Security – No Recovery” on the occasion of the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Rome

On the occasion of the Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC) in Rome, the Victor Pinchuk Foundation and Yalta European Strategy (YES) held a panel discussion on the topic “No Security – No Recovery”. The event addressed one of the most pressing issues of these days - whether Europe is able to not only support Ukraine’s post-war recovery, but to do what’s needed to help Ukraine win the war against Russia.

Victor Pinchuk Foundation and YES Held Discussion “No Security – No Recovery” on the occasion of the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Rome

On the occasion of the Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC) in Rome, the Victor Pinchuk Foundation and Yalta European Strategy (YES) held a panel discussion on the topic “No Security – No Recovery”. The event addressed one of the most pressing issues of these days - whether Europe is able to not only support Ukraine’s post-war recovery, but to do what’s needed to help Ukraine win the war against Russia.

Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, European countries have gathered annually to discuss Ukraine’s future reconstruction, promising long-term support. However, Ukraine’s security – and very survival – depend on Europe today. Ukraine urgently needs weapons, defense funding, air defense systems, and resources to immediately rebuild destroyed infrastructure and housing. The participants in this event discussed ways to ensure that Ukraine will be on the right path for recovery with the backing of the West after the war ends. 

The discussion was moderated by Carl Bildt, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sweden (2006-2014); Prime Minister of Sweden (1991-1994), and Sanna Marin, Prime Minister of Finland (2019-2023), both members of the YES board. The speakers, among others, were: Victor Pinchuk, businessman and  philanthropist, founder of YES; Kristen Michal, Prime Minister of the Republic of Estonia; Olha Stefanishyna, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine; ; Giorgio Mulé, Vice President, Chamber of Deputies of Italy; Caspar Veldkamp, Foreign Minister of the Netherlands; Borys Gudziak, Metropolitan-Archbishop, Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia.

The following participants also contributed to the discussion: LTG (ret.) Keith Kellogg, Assistant to the US President and US Special Envoy for Ukraine; Valdis Dombrovskis, EU Commissioner for Economy and Productivity; Oleksandr Korniyenko, Deputy Chair of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine; Marta Kos, EU Commissioner for Enlargement;Andrius Kubilius, EU Commissioner for Defence and Space, and other;  Khrystyna Boychuk, Officer, National Guard of Ukraine; Maksym Furyk, Veteran of the 10th Mountain Assault Brigade, now an instructor in robotic air defense systems; Marek Prawda, Under Secretary of State, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Poland; Aleksander Kwaśniewski, President of Poland (1995-2005), Chairman of the YES Board.

Opening the discussion, Victor Pinchuk addressed European leaders and urged them to boost support to Ukraine: “All of us appreciate Europe being by our side, but now you can and you must do more. It’s great that just recently you have made a decision to increase defence spending to 5% of GDP in the course of the next 10 years. But I think that right now you must spend more on Ukraine, because you can do this, and you must do this.”

“You cannot make history only with reconstruction, you have to fight, you have to participate in this war in one way or another, alongside Ukrainians,” he added.

Taking the floor, Carl Bildt stressed the importance of securing a long-lasting peace in Ukraine and ensuring that Ukraine remains in a strong position: “Order comes from strength and by demonstrating strength. And one way of demonstrating strength, apart from financial and military support to Ukraine, which is absolutely essential, is demonstrating our commitment to the recovery of Ukraine after the war. Because by demonstrating our commitment to recovery after the war, we demonstrate our confidence in the ability to achieve a ceasefire and to move on from that to reconstruction and the rise of the future sovereign and independent European Ukraine.”

Sanna Marin stressed that Ukraine’s partners hadn’t done enough to ensure its victory in the war: “Throughout this time, we, partners of Ukraine, have done a lot, but we haven’t done enough. We have the resources, we have the capabilities. We could do so much more.”

Kristen Michal said: “Nothing will stop Putin except for strength and unity. In Estonia, we have no illusions about Russia. Putin cannot stop the war. He can only be stopped by force, unity and force.”

Olha Stefanishyna called for action to put an end to the war in Ukraine: “The most important thing is to understand that putting an end to the war is the action that should be taken, rather than an effort that should be supported. This is a common effort. This war is bigger than Ukraine. This war is bigger than the territory of Ukraine. This war goes far beyond bilateral relations between Ukraine and Russia. This is why this war should be brought to an end together by common action rather than common support.”

She also called for tougher sanctions against Russia: “Weak packages of sanctions or compromises on tougher sanctions, as well as delays in decision-making on sanctions, prolong Russia’s capability to keep fighting and scale its resources.”

Olha Stefanishyna also warned against dragging the process of Ukraine’s EU accession: “A decision to turn away from Ukraine when it comes to EU or NATO membership sends a message of success of Russian policy.”

Caspar Veldkamp suggested that Europe review its approach to dealing with Russia’s frozen assets: “We should continue seeking a creative approach towards using Russia’s frozen sovereign assets. Let’s use Russian frozen assets more. Let’s creatively look into it how we can use more of that because that’s what’s needed.”

“We need to encourage the private sector to invest in Ukraine, to mobilize foreign direct investment. We will need a secure Ukraine in the future. The more secure Ukraine will be, the easier it will be to attract this foreign investment. I believe there are huge investment opportunities in a country like Ukraine. We need to provide a secure environment,” he added.

He also acknowledged that Europe needs to do more to secure peace on the continent: “The US has done a lot of the heavy lifting in the past years. And I applaud their commitment to Ukraine, to the future of Ukraine and also their efforts towards peace for Ukraine. It’s true that European countries have to take more responsibility for European security in general, but also for our environment and for Ukraine. And yes, we are stepping up.”

Keith Kellogg stressed the importance of brokering a ceasefire in Russia-Ukraine war: “There have been over a million soldiers dead and wounded. These are the numbers that are almost impossible for me as a former soldier to comprehend. It’s industrial strength killing. The international community needs to ask themselves, “do you want to be on the right side of history or not? You have to make that choice.” We need to bring everyone together and say: “This has to stop!”

Giorgio Mulé focused on the importance of the future reconstruction plan for Ukraine: “We have to make it clear that reconstruction is not just a material matter, it’s a moral action, human political duty towards a nation that is courageously defending its dignity and freedom.”

Valdis Dombrovskis called for tougher sanctions against Russia: “We must continue to apply sustained economic and political pressure on the Russian aggressor. These efforts are bearing fruit. Russian economy is facing mounting difficulties. So it’s very important to sustain and actually strengthen this pressure.”

“Unfortunately, we know that this Russian expansionism is not limited to Ukraine. Russia is openly talking about invading other European states. So we must do everything to support Ukraine, both for the sake of Ukraine’s sovereignty and freedom, but also for the sake of our own security,” he warned.

Marta Kos pledged that Ukraine would become a EU member by 2030: “I don’t know if Ukraine will be able to become a NATO member and when this might happen. But I know that Ukraine will be a member of the European Union and when this will happen. I will tell you when. I got many calls to confirm if I am serious about 2030. Yes, I’m dead serious about 2030.”

She also assured that Ukraine would become a modernized country throughout the EU accession process: “Ukraine is a modern state, and we will help it to become even more modernized through the accession process and through everything that we do. Dear Ukrainians, we will help you come out of the war and to be an independent state that defines its own future.”

Khrystyna Boychuk called for more weapons for Ukraine and more decisive support of European states: “We cannot hold the front line forever. Ukrainians will keep fighting, but if you want the front line to stay where it is, your time has come. We need weapons, we need equipment, we need technologies, air defence, we need responsibility. Shared responsibility.”

Maxime Furyk echoed this view: “If Ukraine doesn’t stop Russia right now, on the front line in Ukraine, tomorrow they will come to your homes, and your sons will have to fight them back.”

“Everyday I see missiles, I see “Shahed” drones, I see drones destroying our cities with civilians, killing children, women, the elderly, the innocent. That’s why I think this is not a war. I think this is terrorism, this kind of terrorism. They kill innocent people every day, every night,” he added.

Oleksandr Korniyenko also called for more weapons for Ukraine and faster decisions to be made about this in Europe: “While Russia has increased the scale and speed of production of “Shahed” drones, while it has been creating a coalition of evil with North Korea, Iran and some other states, I’ve been wondering why our Western allies cannot make such fast decisions? Why can’t we be as fast as Russia in their air solutions?”

Borys Gudziak addressed the moral side of the war and how it affects the lives of Ukrainians: “Ukrainians are making a stand. They are making a sacrifice, and they are just asking for world’s solidarity. I would like to encourage you to do what is right, to do everything that you can, and will not regret it. You are never wrong when you help somebody who is in need. Today, everybody in the world needs Ukraine’s victory. Everybody needs the protection of human dignity.”

Summarizing the discussion, Aleksander Kwaśniewski suggested that Ukraine deserved a special treatment on its path to EU membership given its contribution to European security: “We are not prepared to fight. And Ukraine is not only prepared, but they are already doing it. They showed us they are ready to pay an extremely high, sometimes the highest price, to fight for sovereignty, for independence, for our common European values. And that is something unbelievable, something what we should see as an element of our common strength. And I think that is the first reason why Ukraine should be treated differently on its path towards the European Union.”

“Ukraine needs Europe, but Europe needs Ukraine too. We need Ukraine very, very much. And we should understand that we should do everything that is possible for its accession to the EU,” he added.

“If all of us in the world, if people in Europe, if people in Ukraine want to be on the right side of history, it is necessary to be on the side of Ukraine, Ukrainians and Ukrainian heroes - on the side of the values of independence, sovereignty, democracy, human rights and mutual respect,” Aleksander Kwaśniewski concluded.

The Victor Pinchuk Foundation  consistently leverages international platforms to put Ukraine on the agenda. The Foundation organizes high-profile Ukrainian events in Davos during the World Economic Forum, Ukrainian events during the Munich Security Conference, and the YES Annual Meeting in Kyiv, which gathers global leaders to engage in dialogue about global challenges and Ukraine’s future.

Photos are available here