Victor Pinchuk Foundation hosted the YES Special Gathering in Kyiv on the occasion of the 4th anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine

On February 24, the Victor Pinchuk Foundation and Yalta European Strategy held a special YES gathering on the occasion of the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The event brought together leading political figures, government officials, military commanders, experts and parliamentarians from Ukraine, UK, Europe and the USA for a frank and strategic discussion on the state of the war in Ukraine, prospects for its conclusion, and Ukraine’s place in Europe’s future security architecture.

Opening the meeting, Victor Pinchuk, businessman and philanthropist, Founder of YES, emphasized that the ongoing stage of the war is a small but perhaps the most decisive part of Ukraine's centuries-long struggle for freedom and pro-European choice. He is certain that his country has already come close to its strategic goals – EU membership and reliable security guarantees.

"Four years represent only 1% of our 400-year-long struggle for freedom, independence, sovereignty and the right to be part of Europe. This 1% is perhaps the most important in Ukraine’s history. We are almost there, we are very close to becoming an EU member, we are very close to getting super-powerful security guarantees," he said.

"The only way in which we will not betray our fallen heroes, is to go all the way towards Europe, implement all the reforms, eradicate all corruption and build a beautiful and powerful Ukraine," he concluded.

The first panel of the YES special gathering was titled “The State of the War – Going the Distance,” and was focused on analyzing the situation on the front lines and strategic prospects. Participants of the discussion included: Troels Lund Poulsen, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense of Denmark; Ingrida Šimonytė, Prime Minister of Lithuania (2020-2024); and Yevhen Lasiychuk, Commander of the 7th Corps of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Moderator: Carl Bildt, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sweden (2006-2014); Prime Minister of Sweden (1991-1994); Co-Chair of ECFR; Member of the YES Board.

Troels Lund Poulsen, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the Kingdom of Denmark, expressed pessimism about a prospect to end this war in 2026: "Europe has to do more. We also have to do it faster. We all have to be capable to help Ukraine not only this year, but also have a long-term commitment, because I think that this war could be long. This is an important discussion to have about how we can stay together with Ukraine in the years to come."
"Now Europe has to step up. We have to do more to protect ourselves. We have to invest more. We have to be able to defend ourselves to make more deterrents," he added.

Ingrida Šimonytė, Prime Minister of the Republic of Lithuania (2020–2024); Member of Parliament, acknowledged that this war has never been about territory for Russia, but it is about Ukraine’s sovereignty: "As long as Ukraine is able to maintain its statehood, Russia cannot claim any victory. Ukraine still stands and I think that we should come back to the debate about the "V-word" (victory) – the word that we forgot and used so many other words to describe the situation. But we actually need the "V-word" and the "V-strategy" of victory for Ukraine to recalibrate our actions for this goal. Because this is the only way to finish this war".

"We were always too little, too late, and we were always doubting whether we can make another step to support Ukraine, because that might be an escalation, that might be a red line for Putin," she said.

"So, for us, these are not just words that Ukraine is fighting for us. We are feeling that because we were the ones who expected this unfortunately to happen all along the way. And that's why we were pessimistic on all those warnings in 2021 and 2022," she added.

Yevhen Lasiychuk, Commander of the 7th Rapid Response Corps of the Air Assault Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, stressed that automated control systems and the use of AI are becoming an integral part of modern warfare and determine the technological future of the Ukrainian army.
"Modern warfare is managed with the help of automated systems. This enables quick decision-making and rapid response at our end. I see the future of the Ukrainian army in technology improvement and scaling, as well as in the use of artificial intelligence in certain systems," he said.

Yevhen Lasiychuk is confident that the combination of high-quality training, up-to-date weaponry and flexible deployment of units is the key to an indisputable victory: "Well-trained personnel is the key to successful technology use. We are constantly improving training methods in educational institutions and training centres, equipping them with modern tools and equipment. Today, the training of airborne assault troops is one of the best in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In addition to technology, we must change the tactics of deploying units in combat, combining it with the most modern weapons. This is the condition for our indisputable victory," he said.

"I am grateful to our partners for their support over the years. Your role in ensuring the further development and scaling of technology is enormous. Thanks to you, we are developing and strengthening the Ukrainian army. I am confident that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are currently the strongest army in the world," concluded Yevhen Lasiychuk.

Among the guests of the meeting was also Vladyslav Heraskevych, Ukrainian skeleton racer who was disqualified from Winter Olympics over his insistence on wearing "a helmet of memory" honoring Ukrainians athletes killed by Russia. Commenting on his action, he said

“In my field of games, in sports, I think you can see that we are very different from Russians. Russian athletes are ready to give up their flag; they are ready to give up their symbols just to have any opportunity to spread their propaganda. But we are ready to give up on the Olympics just to stand for our dignity.”

“So, please, keep supporting Ukraine, stay with Ukraine, stand with Ukraine. Support our country in the best possible way,” added Vladyslav Heraskevych.

The YES Special Gathering on February 24 is a platform for an honest conversation about the price of freedom, the limits of endurance, and shared responsibility for the future of Europe. Four years on from the full-scale invasion, Ukraine remains on the front lines not only of its independence, but also of the security of the entire democratic world.

Photos are available here 

Video will be on YouTube