Andriy Yermak at Munich Security Conference
It is in the interests not only of Ukraine but also of the whole world to build such a security mechanism that can prevent aggression or effectively punish it. It was stated by Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak, when participating in a panel discussion at the Munich Security Conference online.
In his speech, Yermak said that on February 24, 2022, Russia launched an unprovoked and unjust war against Ukraine.
"Injustice is always based on impunity and profit. And that's why Ukraine is fighting not only for its survival and freedom – it is paying the highest price for a new ethic to emerge from the crucible of this war, which will form the basis for the post-war world order," he said.
According to the head of the Office of the President, this new ethics should include three points: 1) injustice should be harmful; 2) injustice must be reprehensible; 3) benefit should be determined/measured only by justice.
As Yermak said, the existing mechanisms showed their inability to ensure security in the center of Europe and all the measures taken after the beginning of the Russian invasion were exclusively reactive in nature.
"Therefore, it is in the interests not only of Ukraine but also of the whole world to build such a mechanism that can prevent aggression. And if it fails, to effectively punish for an act of aggression," Yermak said.
The head of the Office of the President of Ukraine recalled that last year an international working group chaired by him and former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen developed a draft of the Kyiv Security Compact, which contains recommendations on the system of guarantees for Ukraine. This document can create a basis for the agreements the guarantor countries would sign with Ukraine.
"We see this document as a complex, fast and effective mechanism for ensuring the security of Ukraine, which covers a wide range of guarantees: defense, economic, political, sanctions, informational, etc.," Yermak said.
At the same time, he said that these security guarantees for Ukraine are intermediate on the way to Ukraine's accession to NATO.
"This path was determined by Ukraine, it was determined by the Ukrainian people. We are clearly moving in this direction. But until the moment when we become members of the most effective and strongest military alliance that exists in the world today, of course, we need guarantees without which it is impossible to live, it is impossible to restore the economy," the head of the Office of the President said.
At the same time, he said that the full-scale war unleashed by Russia continues without interruption, and every minute people die in Ukraine. Therefore, the question of time for our state is a question of survival. "Of course, we need security guarantees today," the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine said.
As Yermak stated, Ukraine expects a new, clearer signal from the NATO summit in Vilnius about when it will become a member of the Alliance, as well as a decision on the Kyiv Security Compact.
"There is enough time to agree and give Ukraine guarantees based on the Kyiv Security Compact. I think our partners will be ready to work to make it a reality in Vilnius," he said.
Yermak also said that today, Ukraine is the best image maker of NATO because with the support of the Alliance countries, it defeated the "second army of the world" and the alleged equality of Russia and NATO's capabilities.
"Today, the whole world understands who the strongest military alliance is. Therefore, it is quite logical that Ukraine should become a NATO member as soon as possible. It is in the interests of all NATO states," he said.
For his part, Rasmussen emphasized the need for joint efforts to make Ukraine strong enough to withstand any attack by the Russian Federation and defend itself. In his opinion, it is necessary to further strengthen the Ukrainian army, help in the training of the Ukrainian military, and promote the establishment of the production of weapons and ammunition for the needs of the Ukrainian army. It is these obligations that Ukraine's international guarantors can undertake under the Kyiv Security Compact, the former NATO Secretary General said.
Rasmussen also emphasized the importance of creating new security architecture in Europe, which was destroyed with the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
"We need a more long-term strategy – a plan that will ensure security for a long time," he said.
In his opinion, the Kyiv Security Compact is a document that should be considered now, in particular, at the NATO summit in Vilnius.
Yermak also talked about the Peace Formula initiated by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, consisting of 10 points. One of them includes security guarantees.
"This peace plan is supported by many countries of the world. We await a positive vote by the UN General Assembly on February 23 to support this plan. Because these 10 points are in the interests of all countries that respect international law and the UN Charter," Yermak said.
The head of the President's Office also expressed hope that after the vote of the UN General Assembly, a peace summit will take place, at which countries will be able to take the lead in implementing one or more points of the Peace Formula. According to him, today, much of what is laid out in this plan is already being implemented.
"We are not asking for anything extra. We are only asking for what will give us the opportunity to win this war and prevent the spread of Russian aggression. It is our common goal to win this war. Russia will not stop at Ukraine if Ukraine does not stop it," Yermak said.
