The 22nd Annual Meeting of the Yalta European Strategy (YES) “Peace Through Strength NOW!” was held on 11-12 September in Kyiv. 700 leading politicians, diplomats, businessmen, servicemen of the armed forces of Ukraine, veterans, civil activists, and experts from 28 countries took part in the conference organised by the Victor Pinchuk Foundation.

Can Ukraine Keep Functioning in War Conditions?

Prime Minister of Ukraine Sergii Koretskyi stressed that despite the difficult period ahead, Ukraine has enough strength and determination to get through the winter, relying on the support of its partners while addressing tactical priorities and continuing the country’s strategic development.

“We have enough optimism, enough strength, and enough determination to overcome these difficulties. It is a difficult period, that is undeniable. I am counting on the support and joint work to get through the winter with dignity. For the Russians, in my personal opinion, it is a kind of blitzkrieg. We must continue to address our tactical priorities while strategically developing the country,” he emphasized.

Sergii Koretskyi outlined government plans, including the decentralisation of energy and logistics, stronger cooperation with businesses and neighboring countries, and the introduction of flexible border-crossing arrangements to ensure uninterrupted transportation.

“There must be decentralisation — in energy, in logistics and in other sectors as well. We have a clear plan with retailers and logistics companies. We know how to implement it. We have a plan for putting in place logistics measures with our neighboring countries. We are discussing a flexible, fast and uninterrupted border-crossing system — essentially a kind of fast track — so that shipments can be delivered without delay,” he added.

The Prime Minister of Ukraine also spoke about the idea of introducing separate government funding to insure businesses against risks. 

“Next is business insurance — war risk insurance. We believe that the traditional model does not work. Together with the Minister of Economy and the Minister of Finance, we have a clear plan to create a separate budget line to which the state would allocate a certain amount of funding,” he stressed.

Is Ukraine Ready for Winter?

Opening the panel, 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, said, “The immediate task, apart from those on the front line, the military situation, is to be able to sustain through the winter, when we know that the Russians are intending to make it as difficult as possible. Is Ukraine ready?”

Responding to Carl Bildt’s question, Oleksandr Kravchenko, Minister of Economy and Environment of Ukraine, “Needless to say the situation will be very challenging, and we have to take into consideration the infrastructure that is being destroyed by Russia every day. We estimate destruction of infrastructure and fixed assets will be about 10bn every year, destruction of ports will cause 1.5bn of damage just this year.”

“40bn is at risk from export issues. We are grateful to our partners for export help, but the solution is to find a way to unblock sea freight – we rely on both military and international support to do this.

“It is critical to find support for agriculture – how do we store products whilst we cannot export. What can we do to support agribusiness in advance of next season? What can we do to provide liquidity until we can resume exports at scale?”

Mayor of Kharkiv Igor Terekhov believes that decentralisation is a key tool for effectively mitigating strikes on critical infrastructure and ensuring resilience at the local level.

“Yes, things are difficult today, and yes, we are facing enormous challenges, but we must understand that every city and every community must have a clear action plan. As for Kharkiv, yes, we have chosen the path of decentralization, and we fully understand that the targets our enemy has set are known to us — large combined heat and power plants, water supply facilities, and our energy infrastructure. But decentralization gives us a unique opportunity today to more or less mitigate this major risk,” he said at the YES 2026 Annual Meeting, Peace Through Strength NOW!, in Kyiv.

Igor Terekhov said: “There are many challenges that will confront us. But I am confident that if we have a strong state-minded approach and build teams of professionals at the local level, we will endure. Yes, of course, we need modern air defense; today we also need the support of our international partners. But the most important thing is that we create effective teams — teams of professionals who will work effectively.”

The Mayor of Kharkiv believes that unwavering unity with international partners, timely assistance, and joint daily efforts are the key to Ukraine’s resilience and to achieving a just peace.

“Today, it is very important — extremely important — that both we and our international partners remain united, that we receive assistance in a timely manner, and that we work to ensure that Ukraine stands firm and continues working toward achieving peace,” Igor Terekhov concluded.

Roksolana Pidlasa, Chair of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Budget, said, “It does not look good for the winter, I will be honest about that. The budget is not great. We have preliminary reports for eight months of budget, national security and defence cost almost 42bn USD – we have raised only 39bn in own revenues and borrowing. Unfortunately, the war has become so expensive that this year we cannot even cover the basic military costs – last year we covered salaries and basic costs for military – we cannot do this any more.”

“Meanwhile, we have heard that budget revenues are severely underperforming. VAT and revenues have started underperforming. The main reason is that Russia deliberately targets revenue producing industries, grain corridors, metallurgical plants, etc. and these things take a lot of time to rebuild, for example it takes three years to rebuild a metallurgical furnace.”

Later in the discussion, she said, “There is one silver bullet, if you provide enough air defences to Ukraine we will not need to refinance logistics centres because we will be able to protect them.”

Anders Asland, Senior Advisor to the KSE Board of Directors, Kyiv School of Economics, commenting from the floor, said, “Thank you Roksolana. You are right - the economy is a disaster. The Port of  Odessa is totally bombed and cannot function.

“What can be done? We have to bomb as many Russian ships as possible so they cannot function in the Black Sea and they have to start talking. Same with electricity – bomb more oil refineries (50% of production) so they cannot function.

“And of course – pass the anti-corruption legislation now so Ukraine can unlock the funding.”

Is There a Window for Negotiations Now?

Fareed Zakaria introduced the panel “Is There a Window for Negotiations Now?” by posing a number of questions to the European speakers. “At this point, looking at it from the outside. It feels to me like (Europe) picked a side. You want your side to win. Isn't it best to just do what it would take to let your side win? Because the alternative is that if it loses, that's bad for you.”

Jonathan Powell, National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, shared his expertise based on the experience of many successful negotiations - from Northern Ireland to Hong Kong. “There is a concept called BATNA, which is ‘best alternatives to negotiated agreements’. What we're essentially trying to do is make Putin's alternatives to negotiated agreement worse, and the attraction of an agreement better. And the opposite for Ukraine.”

“War tends to feel endless when you're trapped in it. You think it's never going to end, and then it does.”

“The good news is there's light at the end of the tunnel, and the bad news is that there's no tunnel. What we're essentially trying to do here is build a tunnel. Unless there is a process, unless there's a tunnel, we will not be getting to peace.”

Fabrizio Saggio, Diplomatic Advisor and National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister of Italy, focused on the theme of European institutional unity. “This panel shows how Europe is united, and I believe that Europe must continue to be united. Europe should be more aware of its role in this peace process.

“You were asking about the addition of Ukraine to NATO. But I think it's even more important that Ukraine is part of the EU, and as my German colleagues already said, there was a proposal from the Chancellor in September to start to think of a different way to do this.”

“We need to basically create something robust enough to guarantee that Russia will not attack Ukraine again,” said Emmanuel Bonne, Diplomatic Advisor to the President, National and Security Advisor, Office of the President of the French Republic, “and that Europe and Russia have enough visibility on both sides to coexist and normalise our relationship. It's incredibly ambitious and challenging.

“This war has changed Ukraine, certainly, and changed Europe as well. It’s difficult to say, but maybe for the better – in the sense that we have a much more accurate sense of what we need to do together and the necessities that we share. We have to change the order of priorities that we normally have in the Union.”

Günter Sautter, Political and Security Advisor to the Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, joined a spirited debate about the contributions of Ukraine’s European partners. “Restraints have been lifted… Our course is clear and totally unequivocal. We are standing with Ukraine here, and we are standing together with our European partners in this endeavour.

“We find it crucial that Russia, Moscow, understands this support is not half-hearted, and it will not go away, and it will continue for as long as is necessary.

“Historically, this is not the first time we find ourselves confronted with expansionist, imperial behaviour from Russia. If you look back in history, those who tried to withstand it with good teamwork did much better than those who, for whichever reasons, were not able to do that.”

Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Kyrylo Budanov believes that the impact of Ukraine’s long-range sanctions became clearly evident as early as the spring and should not be underestimated, as the Russian Federation is already feeling the consequences of these actions. 

“First, there has been a sharp deterioration in the position of VTB Bank, which is, so to speak, one of the leading banks in the Russian Federation. Second, there has been a decline — a sharp decline, I would even say a collapse — in the value of Gazprom, which just 20 years ago was valued at around $270 billion. Today, according to various estimates, that figure has fallen to $30 billion. So the impact is significant. At the same time, the Russian Federation still retains the capacity to continue military operations. This is what we all must understand,” he said.

The Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine is convinced that military operations and strikes against Russian targets should strengthen Ukraine’s position while creating additional pressure on Russia and pushing it toward serious negotiations.

“Everything depends on the situation on the battlefield. And everything on top of that — I mean long-range strikes and other similar actions — is aimed at pushing the Russian Federation toward serious negotiations. It strengthens our position and weakens theirs. Eventually, it will have results,” General Budanov noted.

Kyrylo Budanov called on partners to intensify sanctions pressure on Russia and stressed that unity among Ukraine, Europe and the United States is the key prerequisite for countering aggression.

“I urge everyone not to ease the sanctions regime, so that the Russians cannot continue financing the Russian war machine. This is precisely what they have been doing and will continue to do. So let us believe in America, believe in Europe and, most importantly, believe in Ukraine. Together we are strong. If we are united, no one can do anything against us. But if we start pulling in different directions, like the swan, the crawfish and the pike, the outcome will be clear in advance,” the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine said.

He also noted that Ukraine is ready to play an active role in shaping a new European security architecture and called for deeper cooperation, joint operations and unity with European partners.

“Ukraine is certainly ready to participate — to participate actively — in this [creation of a new European architecture]. Ukraine is proposing this openly, not behind closed doors, but completely openly, starting with the ‘Drone Deals’ that everyone is already familiar with. This is what we can do now, you have to understand that, and extending to proposals for deeper integration of our efforts, cooperation, operations and, ultimately, the unity I have already spoken about and will say again, and which the President of Ukraine speaks about constantly: ‘We are part of Europe.’ Whether someone likes it or not, that is the reality. And we must stand together,” Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Kyrylo Budanov concluded.

What’s the Kremlin Hoping For — and How to Stop it

In the panel ‘What’s the Kremlin Hoping For - and How to Stop it’, Niall Ferguson, Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University, asked whether Western publics will sustain long-term support: “If you tell people that Ukraine ceases to be entirely in the West and ends up in Russia’s orbit, most people in Britain, France and the U.S. will say: ‘So what? Why should we spend a trillion dollars trying to prevent that?’ That’s the problem here which I think we need to grapple with.”

“We’ve got to look beyond the threat to Ukraine and see that Russia poses a threat far beyond Ukraine,” concluded Ferguson.

Boris Johnson,  Prime Minister of the UK (2019-2022), commented that: “The great advantage Putin has, and always has had, is clarity of purpose. He knows what he wants out of this thing. He wants to stop Ukraine ending up in the Western camp, one way or the other, and we’re failing to be clear ourselves. Only clarity will fix this thing.”

“(Putin) is a creep, added Johnson. “He’s a thug. He’s a KGB man and he’s a bully. This is fundamentally an imperial war. It’s about Russia’s sense that there’s no possibility of a Russian future, or a Russian empire, or Russian dignity without Ukraine, and that is an absolute disaster.”

Alice Rufo, Minister Delegate to the Minister of the Armed Forces, France: “Putin totally underestimated the strength of Ukraine, but he also underestimated Europeans. He thought that we would not support Ukraine, that it would not last, that we would not be there, and that we would be divided within NATO and within the EU. The best answer was not to be divided.”

“We need to be clear on the fact that we are going to defend Ukraine and we are going to defend Europe, and not take into account all the time this threat of escalation, which is not true,” Rufo concluded.

David Petraeus, Partner, KKR: “ His (Putin) theory of victory is fundamentally that time favours him. He thinks that he can out-suffer the Ukrainians and the West. He is hoping for the exhaustion of Ukraine and the West, and he wants to see political change in Europe and the United States so that elements start to question whether to continue to support Ukraine.”

“I am very confident that Ukraine can withstand this winter,” added Petraeus “The question is: how painful will it be? The entire society of Ukraine is stepping up to meet this, but the question is whether there are knock-on effects that start to undermine the national resilience that has been on display so impressively until now.”

Taras Kachka, Ukraine’s Representative to the European Union: “The Russian Empire was only successful when Ukraine was part of it. They thought that we were with them, but when we are against them, they lose. Now the question is either we win or we lose. The strategy is clear.”

“Russia will continue to be a danger for us for at least ten years after the war, whenever it ends. The issue of security guarantees for Ukraine for the next decade is more than a €1 trillion issue. We need a decade-long strategy for supporting the Ukrainian army by Europe and other allies.”

Carlo Masala, Chair for Security and Defence Studies, Bundeswehr University Munich commented from the audience: “I’m fully convinced that Russia’s ambition goes far beyond Ukraine. They want to destroy NATO. They want basically to show that NATO is a paper tiger, not willing and able to react if the Russians provoke us at the eastern flank.”

Gabrielius Landsbergis, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania; Founder, NGO Friends of Democracy: “One of the points that has been missed is that it’s not just about Ukraine. It’s about what you would call a greater rebalancing of the European continent. Russia believes that Americans are no longer interested in defending the European continent and that Europeans are just not ready.” 

When asked about the scale of the response Europe could make, Landsbergis said: “Ukrainians have been growing drone numbers from a million, to five million, now ten million this year. If we want to send a strong message to Putin: it needs to be 100 million drones per year. With Europe, that is possible, and I think that could send a very serious message to Putin that the rebalancing is not going to happen.”

Can We Cement an Innovation Edge Over Russia and its Partners?

“Innovation comes from three sources:, said Danyil Vakhovskyi, Executive Director, General Cherry. “Changes in tactics from our enemy; changes of tactics from our military people; and technological innovations.”

“Our main focus now is to work much closer with brigades, and we will deliver several products that are designed specifically for certain military units. They will be very effective.”

Sean Plankey,  CEO, UFORCE USA, paid tribute to the spirit of innovation that has defined the Ukrainian war effort. “All innovation is standing on the shoulders of giants. Every time, you're building off some major building block that somebody did before. When we look at Western civilization and innovation, we are all standing on the shoulders of giants, and those giants are the engineers here in Ukraine.”

“So much of the innovation that were talked about by my fellow panellists dies on the whiteboard. Breakthroughs never make it off the whiteboard, and they never make it to actually be tested to even to even to the applied stage. They never leave the basic stage of innovation because the financial cycle in the United States, for government investment, is three years.”

“The world and Western civilization is finally waking up to how much maritime is a part of everyone's economy. 90% of everything that everyone owns and is wearing today comes by water. That's the primary mode of transportation: maritime assets.”

Iryna Terekh,  CEO, Fire Point, commented that “the technological race is always a spectrum. There are times when you're winning, there are times when you're losing, and this is a completely normal evolutionary process. Sometimes it gets better, sometimes it gets tougher. But this is the way how innovation works in general.”

“In the year 2026, Ukraine launched over Russia twice as more deep strike draws as Russia launched over Ukraine, and this is a number that nobody could ever believe in the year 2022.”

“The question is how we iterate fast,” asked panellist Danylo Tsovk, CEO of Defense AI Center «A1». “How can we move from idea to real device that we can actually validate on the battlefield? We truly believe that AI is an answer, and AI is a strong partner in developing something valuable, something innovative.”

“We truly believe that this technology can be something that provides Ukraine an advantage to create something new, faster, cheaper, and actually to be the first on the battlefield.”

“You can't create, in the defence sphere, an AI solution without real data. A laboratory environment doesn't work. So the capital of the world, unfortunately, now is Ukraine –  where technology is used in the field. I truly believe that the next-gen system for supporting the Western world will appear in Ukraine.”

The Future of War and Global Power: Can the West Innovate Fast Enough?

Fareed Zakaria, Host and Bestselling Author, CNN, moderated the panel “The Future of War and Global Power: Can the West Innovate Fast Enough?” and started the session by asking about Ukraine as the frontier of technological warfare: “Ukraine was the frontier of freedom, a brave democracy struggling against the aggression of an authoritarian empire. But Ukraine was also the frontier of technology. Something was happening on the battlefield that was extraordinary.”

“The Ukrainians are being quite innovative. What they need is scale. They need to be able to multiply these systems and mass-produce them. What would it take for Ukraine to achieve the kind of scaling it needs to be able to win this war, when it is up against an adversary four times the population and ten times the economic heft?”

When asked what the West must learn from Ukraine, Dan Driscoll, Former United States Secretary of the Army answered: “We in the West have got to internalise these lessons. What you are doing here in a very scrappy, fast, iterative nature is what we must contort our systems to achieve at scale. We’re currently doing it, oftentimes, with the wrong products.”

“Within this inflection point, we are at a moment where everything is about to change again. The speed and scale of the AI and compute that is about to hit these weapon systems will be an amazing opportunity for Ukraine to outrun the Russians, out-innovate them and out-partner them. We are a couple of months away from new solutions changing the very nature of how warfare will occur.”

Eric Schmidt, Former CEO and Chairman, Google discussed how warfare was changing: “Pretty much all of the traditional assumptions about war and particular devices are probably false now. Ships are big targets. Tanks are a terrible idea. These drones appear to be toys, but especially when swarmed, they are extraordinarily powerful.

“Ukraine, after four and a half years of war, knows what it is doing. The country is organized to win this. What’s missing? Money, and the second is scaling. This is a big war. You need a lot of everything. The correct solution is to use contract manufacturers in the West to assist in getting the necessary defensive and offensive systems to Ukraine.”

Radosław Sikorski, Deputy Prime Minister & Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland, was asked a question from the audience regarding US funding, European support and frozen Russian assets. “The obvious answer,” he responded, “is that half the funding has petered out because the United States did not follow up with another supplemental package. The U.S. is not funding the war. It is selling some weapons to Europe, but it is not funding Ukraine. What would be really helpful is for the U.S. to match the European effort. The European Union has extended a €90 billion loan, which is not fully disbursed yet, and there is an obvious pot of money in frozen Russian assets. We have already said Russia is not getting this money until it has paid reparations to Ukraine. The only question is: do we pass the money to Ukraine after the war to rebuild it, or now to prevent it from being destroyed?”

Can Europe with Ukraine Deter Russia?

Opening the panel, moderator, Nataliya Gumenyuk, CEO, Public Interest Journalism Lab, said, “I will take the liberty of renaming the panel. There is no doubt, Europe with Ukraine CAN deter Russia. But one cannot do it without the other.”

Ihor Zhovkva, Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, responded, “Yes – no doubt. In every process, there are some buts, ifs, and unfortunately, some delays. We not only can, but should and will deter Russia. For that, there are three very important conditions:

1.   Courage and political will. Compare 2022 to now, at least the countries in this audience have the political will – vis-à-vis Ukraine – unlike the situation in 2014 when Europe overslept on Crimea. Had European nations had this same political will in 2014, or in 2021, the aggressor would have thought twice about this awful and stupid decision. And that would not have been so disastrous for us Ukrainians.
2.   Finance – war investment. The drone industry in Ukraine is underinvested. It is much more cost-effective to invest now, than to rebuild from scratch something in your home countries.
3.   Speed, velocity, readiness to react, quick answers. Ukraine is living at high speed, what we are asking from your countries is, if you cannot go at our speed, then at least go at half this speed.”

Radoslaw Sikorski, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland, said, “What we need to deter Putin is to convince him, as the Europeans, we would fight.  We have the means to impose prohibitive costs on him. Just the Council of Baltic Sea States has a bigger peacetime defense budget than Russia has a wartime defence budget.”

Moritz Schularick, President, Kiel Institute for the World Economy, spoke to the audience about the economic paradox of European defence, stating, “European GDP is larger than China at 26-27 tn dollars. Until about a decade ago, it was the same size as the US, and it is 17x larger than Russia. 

“Last year we spent 2% of GDP on defence

We spent 60% of what the US spent. Do we get anything like 60% of the capabilities? 

“The question is not one of inputs, it is one of outputs. If the US had 50 armies, 50 navies, 50 Airforce’s, it would be as inefficient as Europe in terms of outputs.

“We have to face up to that. We live in a fragmented inefficient European defence world. Ukraine can help us with that.”

Joachim Kaschke, Chief of Central Management Staff and Head of Special Staff on Ukraine, German Federal Ministry of Defence, said, “We can talk about the will to fight. Personally, yes, for sure, we would fight if we need to. In a strong alliance, one of the most powerful alliances in the world.

Regarding the anti-ballistic coalition, he continued, “Countries must bring industry together via incentives. The capability is necessary – we need interceptors. Despite all efforts to have a scalable solution, we are not there yet and will need more time to produce a scalable solution. 

“Because of the pressure, there is a strong sense of responsibility.”

Benjamin Haddad, Minister Delegate for Europe, Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France, told the audience, “Russia calculated that we would lose resolve, and it hasn’t happened. We’re here 4.5 years later discussing a 22nd package of sanctions for Russia, we are providing 100% of the investment, we saw that meeting in Oval office, we stepped up, we secured the 90bn funding, and we have a more united European Council thanks to the Hungarian election.

“The key is to accelerate what we are doing now, because Russia is becoming more aggressive. 

“We need to invest more quickly, and more wisely, currently too much of that money is going to procurement outside Europe.”

Ukraine – Historical Innovation Territory

The panel “Ukraine – Historical Innovation Territory” took a deep dive into Ukrainian history inspired by an ongoing research project. Moderator Niall Ferguson, Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University, reflected that “Ukraine has had this exceptional role in modern history of extreme conflict, and we're touching on part of the reason for that. It's topography, it's accessibility, it's desirability, it's being a place where cultures mix, but also collide. And we're also talking about the forces of evil and good that did battle here.”

Timothy Snyder, Munk School: “You can't really do contemporary politics or contemporary strategy without history,” said Snyder.

“It's a great credit to Ukrainians in general and to my Ukrainian colleagues in particular that during a moment of war, when much else is going on, they are applying themselves with even greater urgency and concentration, but also generosity and curiosity to the big question of who Ukrainians are.”

Borys Gudziak, Metropolitan Archbishop, Archeparchy of Philadelphia, Ukrainian Catholic Church, weighed in: “There's a deep ethical quality to (this project on Ukrainian history). We're in the middle of a war. A war is destruction and separation. It's this war is built on historical lies, and it's also built on the history of empires and religions.”

“Because in people's minds there's a Russo-centric view on Slavic history, people thought Ukraine wouldn't last for three days. It transfers into very clear strategic and tactical mistakes and misconceptions”

Yaroslav Hrytsak, Historian and Doctor of Historical Sciences as well as Professor at Ukrainian Catholic University, made links between the current situation and Ukraine’s past. “It's not just now that Ukraine has had a global dimension. It was several times before – the First World War, Second World War, in the seventeenth century, when domesticating, when building the first cities.

“This is crucial territory. If you want to be a modernised superpower, you have to have control over this territory because of resources, because of the political situation.

“With Ukraine, Russia is (a superpower) like the United States. Without Ukraine, Russia is like Canada… this is the historical mission of Ukraine. To make Russia a normal state, make it a Canada.

“This is the crucial difference between Ukraine and Russia. Luckily enough, Ukraine has no golden age, nowhere to return to. Ukraine’s golden age is in the future!”

From the Frontline to Our Partners: Peace Through Strength NOW

“This is an existential war — a war to preserve ourselves, to preserve our community, to preserve our society itself, but at the same time it is also a war for this state. I think this is what distinguishes us today from who we were a hundred years ago. And I believe that this is precisely why Ukraine will not lose this war,” added Serhii Zhadan, Soldier, 13th Operational Brigade “Khartiia.”

Commander of the 429th Separate Unmanned Systems Brigade “ACHILLES” Yurii Fedorenko noted: “To stop the fighting, we must work at an accelerated pace so that the Ukrainian state and the Ukrainian military receive everything they need to weaken and destroy the Russian Federation. At the same time, we must not forget about sanctions policy. Sanctions are what gradually eat away at the enemy, but it is critically important to strengthen them and ensure enforcement. Then direct firepower, long-range weapons, and sanctions policy together are what deprive Russia of the ability to conduct active combat operations.”

Artillery Reconnaissance Officer of the National Guard of Ukraine Olena Apchel is convinced that impunity is itself a weapon — one that a significant part of the international community has, knowingly or unknowingly, continued to place in Russia’s hands since 2014.

“I believe that impunity is also a weapon. Unfortunately, during the first eight years of Russia’s war against Ukraine, most of the international community placed this weapon in Russian hands. I believe that this is the kind of weapon that, unfortunately, part of the world continues to hand to Russia every time it continues to call Russia’s war against Ukraine a conflict, an event, a difficult situation, aggression…,” Olena Apchel stressed.

Head of Air Defense of the 7th Rapid Response Corps of the Air Assault Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Artem Skurativskyi is convinced that the evolution of Ukraine’s capabilities, provided it receives the necessary tools, means that Ukraine can move from calling for imposing a no-fly zone over Ukraine in 2022 to being ready to ensure the safety and security of airspace far beyond Ukraine on its own.

““In 2022, we asked for the skies over Ukraine to be closed. Now I can say with confidence: give us the tools, and we will not only close the skies over Ukraine, but also protect the entire world.”

Closing

Aleksander Kwaśniewski, President of Poland (1995–2005) and Chairman of the YES Board, closed the conference stating: “Ukraine’s real strength is its people, its army and its young generation. It is a well-educated, extremely determined and patriotic generation, with an unbelievable capacity to develop and introduce new technologies. Europe’s unity is also a great strength, and today the majority of support is coming from Europe.”

“The worst thing that could happen today, with Putin and his imperialist policy on one side, would be a division between America and Europe. We need to work together, not simply through step-by-step decisions and reactions, but with a strategy for Ukraine. The place of a democratic, sovereign Ukraine is in the North Atlantic Alliance,” Kwaśniewski added.

Photos from the YES Annual Meeting 2026 are available  here 

Videos are available at our YouTube channel 

The 22nd Annual Meeting of the Yalta European Strategy (YES) “Peace Through Strength NOW!” was held on 11-12 September in Kyiv. 700 leading politicians, diplomats, businessmen, servicemen of the armed forces of Ukraine, veterans, civil activists, and experts from 28 countries took part in the conference organised by the Victor Pinchuk Foundation.

A Conversation With Military Commanders

During the first panel discussion, the audience heard from military commanders Andrii Biletskyi, Commander of the 3rd Army Corps, Denys Prokopenko, Commander of the 1st Azov Corps, Oleg Apostol, Commander of the Air Assault Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Commander of the 2nd Khartia Corps of the National Guard of Ukraine, Ihor Obolienskyi, and Yevhen Lasiichuk, Commander of the 7th Rapid Response Corps of the Air Assault Forces of Ukraine. 

The Commanders delivered a direct message to European decision makers from the frontline, ‘Can Europe help give what Ukraine needs now?, What does the conference title, “Peace through strength NOW”, mean, specifically and tangibly?

Commander of the 3rd Army Corps of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Andrii Biletskyi believes that getting through the winter will depend to a large extent on how effectively Ukraine can defend against ballistic missiles and attack drones.

“This will be a very difficult winter. Whether we succeed or fail will depend on whether we can protect Ukrainian skies this winter. This objective has two components: shielding the skies against the missile threats, ballistic missiles, and protecting the skies from jet-powered Shaheds and jet-powered drones of the Shahed-Banderol type.”

“If we also get through these challenges with dignity and effectively, I think that by April Russia will face an existential question: why and how should it continue the war at all, given that it will not have achieved any of its strategic objectives,” Andrii Biletskyi concluded.

Commander of the 1st Azov Corps of the National Guard of Ukraine Denys Prokopenko said that, in its existential fight against Russia’s terror and aggression, Ukraine is defending not only itself but is also buying time for the entire civilized world by preventing the war from spreading across the European continent.

“Russia is fighting not only against Ukraine; it is fighting against the entire civilized world. This is a major challenge for all civilized Western nations. And this is not a war between two armies — it is a war against civilians; it is the terror against civilians; it is the daily destruction of our energy infrastructure; it is the torture to death of our prisoners of war; it is the forced mobilization of the Ukrainian population in the temporarily occupied territories. And, unfortunately, all of this is what European countries can expect if Ukraine stops fighting back. Everyone must understand very clearly that right now Ukraine is giving Europe, the United States and the entire civilized world an opportunity to gain the most valuable resource before the outbreak of a large-scale war: time!” he concluded.

Commander of the 7th Rapid Response Corps of the Air Assault Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Yevhen Lasiichuk noted that the partial replacement of people with robots along the frontlines would help reduce personnel losses. However, he stressed that this depends critically on partner support, scaling up successful practices and deploying the latest technologies directly on the battlefield.

“I believe we are on the threshold of the next technological step: the partial replacement of people with robots. For us, this means, first, fewer people on the frontline and fewer personnel losses. But the key factor is partner support in scaling up successful practice and technology,” Yevhen Lasiichuk said.

“Today, Ukraine is paying a very high price for its experience, which tomorrow could save the lives of our partners. Our task is to turn this experience into a shared advantage,” he added.

Oleg Apostol, Commander of the Air Assault Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, believes that Russian aggression poses a long-term threat not only to Ukraine, as the Russian leadership has shown no intention of stopping even if it were hypothetically to achieve its objectives in Ukraine.

“He (Putin – ed.) has nothing to lose, believe me. He will go all the way now. So he will not stop at Ukraine. He no longer cares what happens after him. He does not care if China takes half the land. Even that does not matter to him. Right now, he has set his sights on Ukraine. But we will not be the last. You can see there are signals that he is considering a strike against the Baltic states. Fine, will he stop at the Baltic states? No, he will not,” he went on to say.

Commander of the 2nd Khartia Corps of the National Guard of Ukraine Ihor Obolienskyi is convinced that it is Ukraine and the Ukrainian people who have been holding back Russian aggression in recent years, preventing it from spreading further to EU and NATO countries.

“Is the war deterring Russia from attacking the West? No! I want all of you to understand that it is not the war that is holding Russia back — it is Ukraine and the Ukrainian people. And twelve years have passed from the point when people were saying, ‘let’s not admit Ukraine to NATO,’ to the point of saying, ‘thank God there is Ukraine’,” he noted.

What Must We Actually Do to End the War — A View from Europe

Giving his opinion about how the war will end, Jonathan Powell, National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, said, “At some stage, when we least expect it, Putin will be ready to negotiate. This war only ends in one way; it ends in a negotiation. He is not going to take Ukraine. He is not going to conquer Kyiv. There will be a negotiation. He will have to participate in it, and it's all about making him be serious for that negotiation, and I think our strategy is beginning to work.”

“I wrote a book called Talking to Terrorists. I'd certainly be in favour of talking to this terrorist as well to try and maintain communication. Doesn't mean you give in to it, but you have to maintain that contact.”

“I see no cracks in British public opinion, young or old, on Ukraine. Britain is one of the most resolute countries in Europe or anywhere else in terms of supporting it. The new prime minister has just come in in Britain. Absolutely no crack. His first visit was to come here to Ukraine. His first meeting in the UK was with the Ukrainian president. There's absolute consensus, with the exception of very small fringe right-wing groups and actually very extreme left fringe groups. The British public are very resolute.”

“We don't have to play the same game as them to succeed in this. Putin has plenty of problems. The reason he's escalating, the reason he's trying to frighten us, is he realises his strategy isn't working. He's not taking the territory. He's not destroying the morale of people in Ukraine.”

Emmanuel Bonne, Diplomatic Advisor to the President, National Security Advisor, Office of the President of the French Republic, talked about the need to be bold and take risks, saying, “I happened to be in the room the only time when President Zelenskyy and President Putin met, in Paris in December 2019, and I know that basically the boldness of President Zelenskyy in this meeting helped us collectively reopen a discussion, take a risk, and be more assertive. This is exactly what we need to do today, we need to demonstrate to our people that indeed there is a good chance that collectively we win, and that there is a benefit for our people to sustain another price rise in gas and oil.”

Responding to a question about the threat of a far right government in France, he said, 

“I’m ready to bet here that the Rassemblement National will not win the election.”

Tackling the matter of international support for ending the war, he made the point, “Ukraine matters for the whole international community. We are seeing more and more bold statements from global leaders, like Prime Minister of India Modi, recently. We need to enlarge this circle of those who can help immediately. Take the Arab Gulf states who have massive reserves of patriots, certainly they have their own difficulties, but they will never be able to use all they have in their stocks.”

Radosław Sikorski, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland, said, “Putin's original ambitions were extraordinarily bold. He literally imagined that he would undo the collapse of the Soviet Union and make Russia a superpower again, part of the triad ruling the world. I think that he understands that that's unachievable. His second line was to at least bring Ukraine back as a country whose foreign policy he can control, and that is also unachievable. And my sense today is that he would like to get out of this war by claiming some kind of prize. Hence, the repeated deadlines for capturing Donbas.”

“Negotiation is one way this war ends, but another way is that it just peters out by Putin running out of resources to continue, and for that Ukraine needs to be singularly focused on striking the refineries. If over half of Russian refineries were semi permanently damaged, he could physically not continue the war on Ukraine.”

“We need to show solidarity with Ukraine on gas and electricity. But Europe will be fine. We are much more diversified. Scandinavia has renewables. France has nuclear. In Poland, we have storage, which is already 80% full, and even if there was a complete cut off, our households-that's about a third of consumption-we extract that domestically. So he can affect some of our fertiliser-making capacity, but he can't shut us down.”

Margus Tsahkna, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia, spoke about the fear that Putin might escalate attacks on other European countries, saying, “We have ‘not public’ information about Russian attacks in Europe, and the Baltics are not on top of that list. This is something everybody should know. Baltics, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania are not on top of this list.”

“Putin is playing with fear. Our fear of escalation. So we need to get rid of the fear of escalation because this is exactly that Putin is playing on with these hybrid attacks dividing us, our societies, our unity, and we are afraid of winning the war or perhaps even more, we are afraid of Putin losing the war.”

“We will not wait for NATO or our allies, we will fight back. We will fight back from the first second, like Ukraine did. All bordering countries must understand that they will have to fight from the first second and then others will follow.”

Vsevolod Chentsov, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine, spoke about the Russian attitude to the West and the spread of Russian propaganda, saying, “NATO enlargement has been a very convenient tool for Putin to use as a ‘casus belli’ or as a reason to attack, and it's a quite a psychopathic thing because Russia used to have excellent relations with all NATO member states, maybe with exception of few countries, but he is still able, especially inside Russia, to portray NATO as a threat.”

“We need to understand what the game is with Russian propaganda. We need to be in the driving seat. We need to be sure of how we push Putin into negotiation. The motto of today’s conference is right, ‘peace through strength’. This means strength not only on the battlefield but economically. There are still European companies trading with Russia. It’s a signal, Russia thinks that if we are still trading then they can get back to normal. Russia does not understand until you knock them on the head and they can see you are serious.”

Gillian Tett, Head, King’s College Cambridge; Columnist, Financial Times, moderating the panel What Must We Actually Do to End the War - A View from Europe, stated, “It goes to show that the only way to deal with bullies is to show extreme strength rather than try and constantly bargain.”

Opening the floor to questions, Pasi Rajala, State Secretary, Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Finland, commenting from the audience, expressed continued solidarity with the people of Ukraine, saying, “Let me just address the Ukrainian people here first and tell you that Finland will be with Ukraine today, and we will be with you tomorrow.”

An additional point was made by Andžejs Viļumsons, State Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia, gave his opinion on the meaning of recent Russian escalation, saying, “Our strategy works, and the escalation from Putin's side is a good sign. Putin wants to get out of this war completely, he just needs to find the best face-saving mode. What needs to be done is one, to endure, and two, to escalate. And I don’t mean in the military sense, I mean in defence spending. If we don't invest in defence, we will not be able to help Ukraine. Latvia has given 11 years of foreign ministry budget to Ukraine. We must increase defence spending and show Putin that there are no weak links in the chain.”

Echoing the sentiment of his Nordic neighbour, Eivind Vad Petersson, State Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway, said, “Allow me briefly just to share an image from the streets of Oslo two days ago, because that was a special day for Norway. We had the funeral of our late king, and royals from all over Europe, heads of state from all over Europe, were gathered in Oslo, and they walked in a procession behind the coffin of our late king, through the streets of Oslo.  It was extraordinarily quiet, with one exception. When President Zelenskyy walked past, applause broke out. That was not only applause for President Zelenskyy himself. That was applause from the Norwegian people to the Ukrainian people, to your heroes and to your veterans.”

Darius Skusevičius, Political Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania, called for renewed support for Ukraine, as the European continent prepares for a difficult winter, “I don't know how many of you were here last winter, but for those who were here even for several days, it was a very difficult winter and this winter will be even more difficult and then we will see many great leaders bringing equipment for February 24, which is, I want to remind you, almost the end of a winter, and the Ukrainians need it before that. So my invitation here is not to repeat what I fully agree with, but to try to overcome our fears, and to do at least a little bit more. Each of us a little bit more than we usually do, and that would be a great result already.”

The War — Where Are We?

Asked by Gillian Tett, Head, King’s College Cambridge; Columnist, Financial Times, moderator, “Could the new ballistic missiles being developed by Russia create a socio-economic crisis? 

Vadym Skibitskyi, Deputy Chief, Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, answered, “This is not a risk. It is a real threat. Russia’s objective is not only to attack our defence industry, but to destroy our economy, our electricity, heating and water systems, and to destabilise Ukraine. We have reduced the tempo of Russia’s offensive activity on the battlefield, including around Pokrovsk, Lyman and Kupiansk. That is an important result for Ukraine’s Armed Forces. Russia is changing its tactics and increasing the missile threat. This includes not only Russian ballistic missiles, but North Korean ballistic missiles being used against Ukrainian territory.”

The US Senate’s Ukraine Policy —  A Tribute to Lindsey Graham

In the panel titled: The US Senate’s Ukraine Policy —  A Tribute to Lindsey Graham, moderator Oleksandra Ustinova, Member of Parliament, Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, paid tribute to the late US Senator Lindsey Graham:

“Senator Graham was a big friend of Ukraine, who visited seven or eight times, and did a lot for us. Sometimes quietly, sometimes publicly, but he was a big loss for us as a country.”

John Curtis, Senator, United States Senate, stated: “Whether it's Iran or Ukraine and the conflicts around the world, people are learning how to fight against a superpower or a large power with far fewer resources. And so what does that call for? It calls for innovation. It calls for asymmetric warfare. It calls for creative thinking.”

“Good is going to win over evil.”

Alan Armstrong, Senator, United States Senate, added, “I do think that the American people, and certainly speaking for Oklahomans, are extremely supportive of Ukraine. I haven't seen that wane at all, in fact, I would say it's probably continued to increase.”
“And a lot of that, frankly, is because of the courage and the spirit that Americans recognize that Ukraine has done and they've seen what they've been able to do with very little in the way of assets and resources, but with their spirit and courage have overcome so much. And Americans love to see that.”

“If you think about American origins and you think about an asymmetric war, we kind of came from that origin ourselves, frankly. It is that spirit and courage that we see in Ukrainians that we very much want to support.”

Thom Tillis, Senator, United States Senate, said: “Let's think ahead and figure out how we address some of this capacity problem that's going to persist for a while. You can't flip a switch and all of a sudden double the capacity of interceptors overnight. So we have to come up with interim measures, and maybe different long-term measures.”

The View from the US House of Representatives

In the panel titled:  The View from the US House of Representatives,  Jim Costa, Congressman, US House of Representatives, stated emphatically, 

“This is a war between good and evil. Putin is a war criminal. Modern-day Russia is a syndicate masquerading as a country, with a mob boss called Putin. It really is good versus evil. It is a test of our time. It is a seminal moment in our history.

“Our partnership has made a difference, and now we have an administration that seems to be treating our adversaries, Russia, China and North Korea, and even this contradictory policy with Iran, in a way that benefits Putin, while treating our allies as our enemies.”

Salud Carbajal, Congressman, US House of Representatives, agreed, saying, “It is bizarre that we are not releasing the money that members of Congress approved, the $400 million. So we will be going back and doing what we can to raise that issue of concern. I am hopeful there will be amendment efforts.”

Don Bacon, Congressman, US House of Representatives, supporting the view of his colleagues, said, “I want to do everything we can to ensure freedom and independence for Ukraine prevail, and we know what happens if we fail in this effort.”

Eugene Vindman, Congressman, US House of Representatives, told the audience, “It is my 16th visit to Kyiv since the major phase of the war, and there is overwhelming bipartisan support from the American people. But there is a sense of fatigue. We’ve had 20 years of war in the Middle East, and since this administration started, the Middle East has been a major distraction.”

“When we see democracies that align with our values, we must protect them with everything we have. We must stand by our friends. We can get into the nuance of the legislative process, but we must stand by our friends. That needs to be our guiding light,”  added Wesley Bell, Congressman, US House of Representatives.

Moderator Oleksandra Ustinova concluded the panel by stating: “Thank you, Congress, for always standing on our side. It was always you pushing for more changes and more weapons.”

Can AI End the War and Strengthen Democracies Against Autocracies?

In the session titled: Can AI End the War and Strengthen Democracies Against Autocracies? moderated by Niall Ferguson, Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University, Louis Mosley, CEO, Palantir Technologies UK, said:  “I was struck, after Anthropic unveiled Mythos, by the fact that the major use case for the most advanced models is now cyber warfare, that's what they're really good at.”

“As we sit here discussing Ukraine's specific problems and challenges, the debate about AI regulation is one that affects all of our lives – all of humanity,” he added.

Sanna Marin, Former Prime Minister of Finland built on the panel discussion: “I'm so excited about all the possibilities that these technologies will give to humanity, and at the same time, I see the existential risks that are there. And they are real, if we don't create a kind of regular framework that would actually function globally.”

“AI needs to be regulated fast in a way that is enabling us to catch up with the development, and also to allow for pauses here and there. You cannot continue development that you cannot understand and fully appreciate.”

Special conversation: Victor Pinchuk speaks to Jared Kushner, United States Special Envoy of Peace

In a conversation with Jared Kushner, United States Special Envoy for Peace, Victor Pinchuk, businessman and philanthropist, founder of the YES, opened the discussion by thanking Mr Kushner for making time to join the conference on the 25th anniversary of September 11th, Mr Pinchuk asked, “How important is it to you, to end this war?”

Jared Kushner responded: “Obviously today's a day that we all remember, the tragedy that occurred 25 years ago. But I think that, when something doesn't go the way you want, you have to find the lessons of strength from it. There's so much that America can be very proud of with the strength and resilience and the way that our country rebounded from that terrible attack. There's a lot of lessons in that for Ukraine, and to see how Ukraine will no doubt rise from this terrible war and achieve its fullest potential.”

“This has been a brutal war. I think that there's a lot of different considerations from President Trump's perspective. Obviously, number one is the human cost, it's brought a lot of human suffering, which really is what sits with him the most, and then beyond that, there's the economic impact. We were talking a lot in our meetings with the Europeans about the fact that gas prices now in Europe are two to three times higher than they were before the war.

Pinchuk concluded, “Today is Rosh Hashanah. Do you think that there is a chance that in this new year we'll have new ideas how to end this war, how to start real negotiations? Do you think we have a chance for a ceasefire before winter?”  

Kushner responded, “What I would always say is everything looks impossible until right before it's achieved and I've enough experience now being involved in a lot of these complex geopolitical negotiations to know that unfortunately, you can't always show all your cards, but we're very committed to trying to find a way forward.”

The Future of AI — a Conversation with Mustafa Suleyman, CEO, Microsoft AI

In the final panel of the day: The Future of AI, Fareed Zakaria, Host and Bestselling Author, CNN spoke with Mustafa Suleyman about the role of AI and impact for national governments, geopolitics and future of Ukraine. 

Zakaria began the panel by asking how humans can control AI if they’re going to get smarter and smarter and smarter? Presumably, even just a year or two from now, these things are going to be much, much smarter than we are.”

Suleyman began by stating: “This is the uncomfortable truth. There is no containment without adding additional frictions to the rate of adoption of technology. That’s the definition of containment. We have to limit those capabilities, and we have to limit who has them.”

“By the 2030s, it’ll be possible for anybody to have what are today considered to be nation-state-grade hacking capabilities or just general-purpose intelligence capabilities.”

Zakaria queried: “Imagine a country like Russia, which is a sophisticated technological country, which has access to this kind of open-source model. We now know what their intentions are. Would they even need the Chinese? Couldn’t they plunge the United States or their adversaries into some kind of financial crisis just by unleashing these agents?”

Suleyman concluded: “The purpose of technology is to serve humanity. It is to be aligned and controlled by humanity, to reduce human suffering, to improve well-being, and that’s why we create it.”

Photos from the YES Annual Meeting 2026 are available  here 

Videos are available at our YouTube channel 

The 22nd Annual Meeting of the Yalta European Strategy (YES) “Peace Through Strength NOW!” was held on 11-12 September in Kyiv. 700 leading politicians, diplomats, businessmen, servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, veterans, civil activists, and experts from 28 countries took part in the YES conference organized  by the Victor Pinchuk Foundation.

Opening the event, Victor Pinchuk, businessman and philanthropist, founder of YES, said: 

“Peace through strength is about immediate action, immediate action by Ukraine, Europe, the United States and other partners. The Ukrainian will to fight has been superior from the start. Ukrainian innovation has become superior in 2026. Exactly because of this double superiority, the window of opportunity has appeared — a window of opportunity to force our enemy to sit down for serious and real negotiations to end the war. But windows of opportunity are very rare and fast disappearing.

This is why we need our partners to give even more military and financial support, invest more in Ukrainian defence and sanction our enemy more to decrease its resources. And, most importantly, this winter Ukraine must have the most protected sky in the world».

The photograph on the main discussion stage was a photograph by Ember of a work by the artist Banksy. The work Judo was painted in Borodyanka, in 2022, onto the wall of a house that had recently been destroyed by Russian aggression and has become an iconic symbol of the Ukrainian resistance.

The work depicts a child throwing a grown-up opponent to the floor in a judo move. The mural has been interpreted as referencing Russian president Vladimir Putin and his association with judo. The mural later became a motif on a Ukrainian postage stamp.

Introducing the artwork created especially for the conference by the world-famous British artist Banksy, Victor Pinchuk said:

“One work expressed most what the title of the conference means. World-famous artist in 2022 went to the small town Borodyanka, 30 miles from Kyiv. Russian destroyed his houses and tried to capture Kyiv. There he sprayed on a wall a work which became iconic — a small child who flips to the floor a big judo fighter who thought he was a master. And this great artist, who never shows himself, created a new work especially for our conference. And this is his first ever portrait in such a scale.

For me, Banksy in this picture symbolizes all our Western partners. He is here like they are — always with us, always standing with Ukraine. And of course we all understand this small child is Ukraine. Peace through strength, Ukraine style.”

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed in his video address to the participants of the Annual Meeting: “It is very important today not to lose any time and to strengthen our daily efforts to ensure the defense of the country.”
The President of Ukraine underlined that developing Ukraine’s own defense capabilities, defense industry and partnerships is a critically important part of the country’s long-term security guarantees, both during the war and in the post-war period.

“It is vital to build our own system shielding our skies, and not only that. We will need it during the war, of course, and afterwards, because part of Ukraine’s security guarantees is the Ukrainian army, our production capabilities, our capacities and our partnerships with Europe, the United States and Canada,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed.

He emphasised that security guarantees are peace guarantees, and it is peace that Ukraine needs most of all. He urged for focusing on the present-day challenges Ukrainians face every day.

“Security guarantees are guarantees of peace, and peace is what Ukraine needs so much.”

The President of Ukraine thanked the participants of the YES 2026 Annual Meeting for supporting Ukraine and demonstrating that Ukraine is not alone in this fight.

“I am very pleased that you have such a distinguished gathering; I understand that everyone has come to support the conference. At the same time, the Yalta conference is one of the building blocks of the broader support being provided to Ukraine. Every such conference, every such meeting, in my view, is very important in order to demonstrate to Ukrainians that they are not alone in facing the enemy. And secondly, it is important to demonstrate to the Russians that no one will abandon Ukraine until there is a just peace. Thank you,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy concluded.

Among speakers of the YES Annual Meeting 2026 were: Victor Pinchuk, businessman and philanthropist, founder of YES; Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine; Kyrylo Budanov, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine; Ihor Zhovkva, Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine; Vadym Skibitskyi, Deputy Chief, Defence Intelligence of Ukraine; Radosław Sikorski, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland; Margus Tsahkna, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia; Sergii Koretskyi, Prime Minister of Ukraine; Taras Kachka, Representative of Ukraine to the European Union, Trade Representative of Ukraine; Jared Kushner, United States Special Envoy for Peace; Jonathan Powell, National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom; Vsevolod Chentsov, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine; Igor Terekhov, Mayor of Kharkiv, Kharkiv City Council; Oleksandra Ustinova, Member of Parliament, Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine; Roksolana Pidlasa, Member of Parliament, Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine; Boris Johnson, Prime Minister of the UK (2019-2022); Aleksander Kwaśniewski, President of the Republic of Poland (1995-2005), Chairman of the YES Board; Gabrielius Landsbergis, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania (2020-2024), Founder of NGO Friends of Democracy; 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; Sanna Marin, Prime Minister of Finland (2019-2023), Member of the YES Board; Oleksandr Kravchenko, Minister of Economy and Environment of Ukraine; Alice Rufo, Minister Delegate to the Minister of the Armed Forces of France; Dan Driscoll, Former United States Secretary of the Army; Fabrizio Saggio, Diplomatic Advisor and National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister of Italy; John Curtis, Senator, United States Senate; Alan Armstrong, Senator, United States Senate; Thom Tillis, Senator, United States Senate; Jim Costa, Congressman, US House of Representatives; Salud Carbajal, Congressman, US House of Representatives; Don Bacon, Congressman, US House of Representatives; Wesley Bell, Congressman, US House of Representatives; Eugene Vindman, Congressman, US House of Representatives; David Arakhamiia, Majority Leader, Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine; David Petraeus, Partner, KKR; Joachim Kaschke, Chief of Central Management Staff and Head of Special Staff on Ukraine, German Federal Ministry of Defence; Emmanuel Bonne, Diplomatic Advisor to the President of France on the national Security; Andžejs Viļumsons, State Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia; Eivind Vad Petersson, State Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway; Darius Skusevičius, Political Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania; Günter Sautter, Political and Security Advisor to the Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany; Pasi Rajala, Political Secretary of State, Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland; Antti Lindtman, Chairman, Social Democratic Party of Finland; Andrii Biletskyi, Commander of the 3rd Army Corps, Armed Forces of Ukraine; Ihor Obolienskyi, Commander of the 2nd “Khartia” Corps, National Guard of Ukraine; Denys Prokopenko, Commander of the 1st Azov Corps, National Guard of Ukraine; Oleg Apostol, Commander of the Air Assault Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine; Yevhen Lasiichuk, Commander of the 7th Rapid Response Corps of the Air Assault Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine; Andriy Zagorodnyuk, Chairman, Centre for Defence Strategies; Danyil Vakhovskyi, Executive Director, General Cherry; Sean Plankey, CEO, UForce USA; Iryna Terekh, CEO, Fire Point; Danylo Tsvok, CEO, Defense AI Center «A1»; Louis Mosley, CEO, Palantir Technologies UK; Mustafa Suleyman, CEO, Microsoft AI; Eric Schmidt, Former CEO and Chairman, Google; Annette Kroeber-Riel, Vice President of Government Affairs & Public Policy for Europe Google; Valeriy Pekar, Chairman of the Board, NGO “Decolonization”; Zanny Minton Beddoes, Editor-in-Chief, The Economist; Gillian Tett, Head, King’s College Cambridge, Columnist, Financial Times; Fareed Zakaria, Host and Bestselling Author, CNN; Nataliya Bugayova, Director, Cognitive Warfare Center and Modern Warfare Fellow, Institute for the Study of War; Krzysztof Czyżewski, President, Borderland Foundation; Natalia Gumenyuk, CEO, Public Interest Journalism Lab; Moritz Schularick, President, Kiel Institute for the World Economy; Niall Ferguson, Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University; Simon Shuster, Staff Writer, The Atlantic; Carlo Masala, Chair for Security and Defence Studies, Bundeswehr University Munich; Yaroslav Hrytsak, Historian, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor, Ukrainian Catholic University; Timothy Snyder, professor of Modern European history, University of Toronto, Munk School; Chloe Fox, Deputy Editor, Foreign Affairs; Borys Gudziak, Metropolitan Archbishop, Archeparchy of Philadelphia, Ukrainian Catholic Church; Artem Martynenko, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, responsible for digital transformation and innovation; Serhii Zhadan, Soldier, 13th Operational Brigade "Khartiia"; Serhiy Stakhovsky, Special Operations Center “A”, Security Service of Ukraine operator and Former Professional Tennis Player; Yurii Fedorenko, Commander of the 429th Separate Unmanned Systems Brigade “ACHILLES”; Olena Apchel, Artillery Reconnaissance Officer, National Guard of Ukraine; Artem Skurativskyi, Head of Air Defense of the 7th Rapid Response Corps of the Air Assault Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and other distinguised guests. 

Photos from the YES Annual Meeting 2026 are available  here  

Videos are available at our YouTube channel 

The Yalta European Strategy (YES) members of the Board held a series of meetings in Kyiv and Odesa. The purpose of the meetings is to prepare the agenda for theYES Annual Meeting, which will take place on 11-12 September 2026 in Kyiv.

YES Board was represented by Aleksander Kwasniewski, President of Poland (1995–2005), Chairman of the Board of YES; Kersti Kaljulaid, President of Estonia (2016-2021); Carl Bildt, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sweden (2006-2014); Prime Minister of Sweden (1991-1994); Sanna Marin, Prime Minister of Finland (2019–2023); Victor Pinchuk, Founder of EastOne group, Founder of Victor Pinchuk Foundation, and Stéphane Fouks, Executive Vice-President Havas Group, Executive Chairman H/Advisors.

The meetings were focused on the challenges and opportunities for Ukraine and Europe amid the ongoing war and the changing international security architecture. Particular attention was paid to the role of Ukrainian military innovations and technologies in strengthening the security of Ukraine and all of Europe, as well as the prospects for achieving a just and sustainable peace.

During the visit, high-level meetings were held with Ukrainian officials, including Kyrylo Budanov, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine; Yulia Svyrydenko, Prime Minister of Ukraine; Taras Kachka, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine; Oleksii Sobolev, Minister of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine; representatives of the diplomatic community, civil society, as well as military personnel and veterans.

The programme also included a visit to the National Preserve Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, which was recently damaged by a Russian attack. 

YES Board also visited Odesa and held a meeting with Oleh Kiper, Head of the Odesa Regional Military Administration, followed by a visit to the Odesa City Commercial Port, where they learned about the operation of the port infrastructure during Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

A dedicated part of the programme was a visit to the RECOVERY rehabilitation center for wounded soldiers.

Photos are available here

On June 24, 2026, on the eve of the Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC) in Gdańsk, the Victor Pinchuk Foundation and Yalta European Strategy (YES) hosted the traditional YES Dinner Discussion, gathering international leaders, policymakers, business executives, experts, and representatives of civil society.

This year’s discussion focused on the topic: What Ukraine Needs Now. While Western allies have overcome their initial delays in providing aid to Ukraine, and Poland has offered indispensable logistical and humanitarian support to millions of Ukrainians, the baseline of support remains operationally insufficient to bring Russia’s aggression to an end. Ukraine acknowledges the profound humanity and unprecedented generosity of its partners, and demands an immediate escalation in sanctions, weapons, and defense technology investments. Victory is the strict prerequisite for peace; if we fail to fund the lethality of the present, there will be no future left to rebuild.

Opening the event Victor Pinchuk, businessman and philanthropist, founder of YES, said: “Ukraine can win. But for that we need your help. And your help means more sanctions, more weapons support, and much more investment in our military tech. This is the best investment in our victory, peace, reconstruction, and a beautiful recovery.”

Speaking about Poland’s solidarity with Ukraine, Victor Pinchuk also stressed: “I love Poland. Ukrainian people love Polish people. Polish people love Ukrainian people. If you love, sometimes you fight. But because of your love, it’s easy for you to overcome. And we have to remember this. “

Kristen Michal, Prime Minister of Estonia, stressed the importance of Ukraine becoming a NATO member: “We should have a conversation about Ukraine being a NATO member. Because we have the best fighting army in Europe. Where else should it be other than in NATO?”

“In Russia, everything is getting gloomy. This is not anymore a three-day special operation, it has entered its fifth year. They have long-range strikes on metropolises, they have 5G switched off, they have Telegram closed, and a dictator, who is paranoid. On the other hand, there is Ukraine, that has the backing of Europe and allies.”

Marta Kos, Commissioner for Enlargement, announced that on 25 June the EU would allocate the first 3.2bn euros of a 90bn-loan for Ukraine: “Europe can deliver, and we are delivering.”

She also commented on the opening of the first accession negotiation cluster between EU and Ukraine: “No enlargement process can capture what a country is already contributing to Europe. There is no chapter for bravery. We have no chapter for courage. We have no chapter for resilience to express what Ukrainian people are already doing for us Europeans. That’s why it is a two-way street. And with the opening of the first cluster, there is no doubt that Ukraine belongs to Europe.”

“We cannot be safe in Europe unless Ukraine becomes a EU member,” Marta Kos concluded.

Taras Kachka, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine, shared Ukraine’s progress in anti-graft prosecution: “Between 1 January 2025 and 31 May 2026, NABU (The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine) has opened 1038 cases, SAPO (Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office) has issued 309 new suspicions in 175 indictments regarding 377 individuals, the High Anti-Corruption court issued 140 sentences against 190 persons, who were involved in corruption.”  

“We are very serious on the defence line, in defence industry and about our reforms. And now we need to have the same seriousness on the EU’s side,” he added.

Jeremy Lewin, US Under Secretary for Foreign Assistance, Humanitarian Affairs, and Religious Freedom, commented on US’s role as a mediator in peace talks between Russia and Ukraine: “If Europe’s perspective is that it shouldn’t take on a mediator’s role, the US has to take on that role. Because who else can help mediate between Russia and Ukraine? All of us believe that the end of this war, what’s best for Ukraine and its people, has to be a durable and just peace, but a peace.”

Andrzej Domański, Minister of Finance and Economy of the Republic of Poland,  touched upon the cost of war: “Peace is not only a diplomatic achievement, but also an economic structure that makes war less rational. Ukraine today is resisting a brutal aggressor not only thanks to the resilience and courage of its Armed Forces and citizens, but also thanks to sustained support of the international community.”

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; moderator of the discussion, commented on Ukraine’s economic potential: “If you look at the long-term potential of Ukraine, it is clearly to be another Poland in terms of the economic development. In certain areas, Ukraine has even better potential, than Poland had.”

Chrystia Freeland, Former Deputy Prime Minister & Minister of Finance of Canada, said: “Today, Ukraine is not an object, but Ukraine is a subject. Ukraine has main character energy. What we hear from Europeans, Ukraine is transforming Europe in a positive way. Ukraine has shown it can defend itself. By doing that Ukraine has shown Europe: ‘You guys, can defend yourselves’.” 

Philipp Michael Hildebrand, Vice Chairman of BlackRock, outlined the key conditions needed to mobilise private capital for Ukraine’s long-term reconstruction and economic success: “As we all try to build this reconstruction path, we have to think about how do we get private capital in the end to sustain a long-term economic framework around reconstruction and beyond. And private capital will only come if three conditions are in place: a credible European perspective, a pathway toward peace or at least stability, and strong public investment to catalyse private financing.”

Brittney Shki-Giizis, UAV crew commander, Ukrainian Armed Forces, shared her experience as a soldier serving in the Ukrainian army and stressed how the nature of war has changed: “War has changed in tactics and in technology. And what I've seen from the West, from NATO armies, is complacency, almost a refusal to acknowledge just how dramatic the change is on the front.

Try to imagine the density of drones on the frontline, and how impossible it is just to move even 4 km. I’ve seen NATO’s training videos, where they have tanks, armoured vehicles and infantry walking across open fields, and all I can think of is how many casualties they are going to take with this tactics. They are not taking this seriously.”

She also stressed on the importance of the international partner's support: “I came today with anger in my heart and exhaustion in my soul because we feel like on the ground that we are not being heard, we are not being supported. And I understand that's not correct because the support has been incredible, but we need more.
And it's okay to plan for the future, but that's not going to help us if there is no future.”

Maksym Kolesnikov, veteran and former PoW, psychologist, Chief marketing officer at the Ukrainian defense tech company TAF Industries, called for more support to Ukraine: “If you help us, we’ll win faster. And there will be fewer homes to rebuild. Thank you for you support, but we need more. And we are ready to be a partner, because we have some technology, that you don’t have.”

Radosław Sikorski, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland, shared his view on the historical principles behind enduring and lasting peace with respect to recent downturn in Ukrainian-Polish relations: “The history between our countries is much richer than one genocidal ethnic cleansing. So if Ukraine is to become a EU member –and Poland is still be in favour – we will negotiate, but we’ll be in favour , we need to have this at the back of our minds: The European Union is at its core a peace process, it’s about preventing the nightmares of the past ever recurring.”

Oleksandr Korniyenko, First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, said: “It’s our duty to fight for democracy in these battles between each other, despite obstacles, and to provide financial guarantees to our army. All budgetary issues are promoted in a stable way.”

Oleksandr Kamyshyn, Advisor to the President of Ukraine on strategic issues, said: “I'm happy that people on the stage, people in the room, speak about the defence industry as about something that is critical and something that is significant. I am sure that we will build up with Poland, with Europe, a stronger defense industry framework. We will do it and we'll make Europe strong again.”

In closing remarks, Aleksander Kwaśniewski, President of the Republic of Poland (1995-2005); Chairman of the YES Board, expressed hope for some kind of a ceasefire in the near future: “I think that something will happen in the coming months. This will not be peace. Because I don’t believe that as long as Putin, or even Putin’s successor, is a leader of Russia, this country will think and will be interested in real peace. And absolutely not in just peace. But I think that we are close to some kind of a ceasefire.”

He also stressed that Ukraine should become NATO’s member as Europe’s largest battle-tested army: “One million Ukrainian soldiers could be a really strong asset for our capacity to answer to all these fears coming from the Russian side. But if NATO is not part of security guarantees (for Ukraine), then there is EU membership. And this is something that is possible, and I believe, will happen soon.”

Since 2023, on the eve of each Ukraine Recovery Conference, the Victor Pinchuk Foundation has hosted YES Dinner Discussions. International and Ukrainian leaders debate candidly how to make support for Ukraine even more effective: to end the war, create security for Ukraine and Europe, and enable Ukraine’s innovative economy and powerful society to surge. 

Photos are available here 

Video is available here 

On June 24, 2026, on the eve of the Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC) in Gdańsk, the Victor Pinchuk Foundation and Yalta European Strategy (YES) will convene international leaders, policymakers, business executives, experts, and representatives of civil society for the traditional YES Dinner Discussion.

This year’s discussion will focus on the topic: What Ukraine Needs Now. While long-term commitments for after the war are crustal, Ukraine’s partners can make a vital difference with more decisive support now. What actions can finally end Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and secure a just and lasting peace? What investments and political steps will not only prepare Ukraine’s recovery but also boost its security now?

Expected speakers include:

• Kristen Michal, Prime Minister of Estonia (TBC);
• Radosław Sikorski, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland;
• Andrii Sybiha, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine;
• Taras Kachka, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine;
• Jeremy Lewin, US Under Secretary for Foreign Assistance, Humanitarian Affairs, and Religious Freedom;
• Kęstutis Budrys, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania;
• Marta Kos, Commissioner for Enlargement;
• Monika Wielichowska, Deputy Speaker of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland;
• Odile Renaud-Basso, President, EBRD;
• Conor Coleman, Head of Investments, DFC;
• Brittney Shki-Giizis, UAV crew commander, Ukrainian Armed Forces;
• Yulian Pylypei, Marine Corps officer, Ukrainian Armed Forces;
• Aleksander Kwaśniewski, President of the Republic of Poland (1995–2005); Chairman of the YES Board.

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.

The event will be livestreamed and can be viewed via the link The discussion will commence at 7:00 p.m. CET.

Since 2023, on the eve of each Ukraine Recovery Conference, the Victor Pinchuk Foundation has hosted YES Dinner Discussions. International and Ukrainian leaders debate candidly how to make support for Ukraine even more effective: to end the war, create security for Ukraine and Europe, and enable Ukraine’s innovative economy and powerful society to surge.  

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. 

During the closing panel Metropolitan Epiphaniy, Head, Orthodox Church of Ukraine, and Aleksander Kwaśniewski, President of the Republic of Poland (1995-2005), Chairman, YES Board, reflected on fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and Ukraine's path to peace.

Aleksander Kwaśniewski thanked everyone for attending the Special Gathering on the occasion of the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. He carried a rallying message: 

“The full-scale invasion has been going on for four years, yet the conflict will remain for generations due to Putin’s concept of Great Russia, which cannot exist without the entirety of Ukraine.”

“I remember when President Trump said he would solve the problem in one day, one week, one month etc. We are now one year in and hopefully we are close to having the first breakthrough in this war which is a cease fire. A ceasefire is not peace, but it is the beginning. It brings hope.”

“We have to look seriously at what the security guarantees are so they work. We remember very well the Budapest Memorandum which was signed by all powerful nations in the world, and it didn’t work. It is important to ask what guarantees we can have to support Ukraine, the people, the army. Our goal must be peace. We have a lot of question marks, and we will see how this unfolds over the weeks and months”

He concluded with two points: “Firstly, we should open the door for Ukraine to become a full member of the European Union. To unravel mythologies and get rid of the barriers that are in the way as possible. Ukrainians are fighting for our freedom, they deserve this.

“Secondly, is the domestic democratic work that is needed in Ukraine. It will not be easy to go back to normal after martial law, but you must work hard at democracy; at free press, at shared values.  You can count on us, on our experience and advice but it is your homework.”

“This is something we can do together, this is something we can work together. Next year when we are here together on 24th February it will be much more optimistic, and hopeful. We will speak about a new era of sovereign independent Ukraine; as a member of our democratic family. Please let’s do everything together to achieve that”, he concluded.

Metropolitan Epiphaniy, Head of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, believes that the religious and ideological dimension is an important component of the war:

“As we can see, this war has many different factors. One of them is the religious and spiritual dimension, which the aggressor is using against us, against the Ukrainian people, for its own purposes. We understand and see this clearly, because even in the provisions of the peace agreement, specifically in clause 13, it is stated that the aggressor seeks to preserve the presence of its Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine. And the question arises: why do they need to maintain the presence of their church here? This clearly shows how important it is for them. For more than 30 years, the ideology of the ‘Russian world’ was propagated here, and we can now see the negative consequences it has borne,” Metropolitan Epiphaniy emphasized.

He is convinced that Ukraine’s spiritual security can be ensured through the unification of all Orthodox believers within a single Local Church.

“That is why we are also holding this spiritual and religious front, which concerns the spiritual security of our Ukrainian state. We want all Orthodox Christians to be united in one Local Ukrainian Orthodox Church,” Metropolitan Epiphaniy noted.

He also believes that strength of spirit and unity are capable of thwarting even the most aggressive plans of the enemy, and that only by preserving solidarity can Ukraine confidently move toward complete victory.

 “The enemy tried to seize us within a matter of days, but we are fighting, and, as we can see, the strength of spirit prevails. Therefore, we must continue, in unity, to forge this path toward a great and complete Ukrainian victory,” Metropolitan Epiphaniy emphasised.

“We are strong when we are united. Truth is on our side, and truth always prevails. We must have firm and unwavering faith in this, and faith will always lead us forward,” he concluded.

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.

On 24 February 2026, the Victor Pinchuk Foundation and Yalta European Strategy (YES) held a discussion ‘Can Ukraine Count Only on Itself?’ during the YES special gathering on the occasion of the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. 

The discussion brought together Ukrainian military commanders who discussed Ukraine’s ability to sustain its defence independently, the development of unmanned systems, and resilience on the battlefield.

Participants included: Yuriy Filatov, Head of Unmanned systems of the 3rd Army Corps, Armed Forces of Ukraine; Oleksandr Falshtynskyi, Chief of the Medical Service, 7th Rapid Response Corps of the Air Assault Forces of Ukraine, Armed Forces of Ukraine; Daria Borysenko, Commander of the Strike UAV Crew, ‘Typhoon’ Special-Purpose Unmanned Systems Detachment, 22nd Separate Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine; Denys Nokhrin, Commander of the 21st Separate Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine.

Moderator: Chrystia Freeland, Deputy Prime Minister of Canada (2019–2024), Advisor to the President of Ukraine on Economic Development.

Prior to the beginning of the discussion Chrystia Freeland, moderator, asked Victor Pinchuk to tell a story about Bono’s continued support for Ukraine. He first read an email sent by Bono to President Zelenskyy at the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine:

“President Zelenskyy, the world is watching. The Ukrainian people are teaching the rest of the world what freedom looks like, what freedom feels like and most importantly, what freedom acts like. The bully in the neighbourhood will not prevail. Bless you poetic souls. We keep you in our prayers, Bono.”

After reading the email, and praising Bono for travelling to Ukraine to give a concert in May 2022, Victor Pinchuk showed a documentary short film, which captures the extraordinary daily lives of Alina and her fellow soldiers from Khartiya Corps, inspired by U2’s new release, “Your’s Eternally” (ft. Ed Sheeran and Ukrainian singer Taras Topolia), and released on the 4th anniversary of the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Chrystia Freeland reminded the audience of the famous line written by Taras Shevchenko, Ukraine’s most well-known poet, “Bury me and then rise up. Rise up and break your chains.” and invited some of those who have physically risen up, to address the audience. She said, “I'm very inspired by the soldiers we're going to hear from. I've asked them to tell us a little bit about themselves so we can know them as human beings. And then I've asked them to tell us what we should do, what Ukraine needs to do to win the war.”

Oleksandr Falshtynskyi said, “It's a really hard, complicated and complex task for all of us, for Ukrainians and for our partners as well. The most important thing is to be united, we need to unite all our capabilities, all our strength to destroy the enemy. From my perspective, all democracies, all civilized countries can destroy the enemy.

“Later on we need to create such a strong army, to make sure the Russians are afraid to think of engaging once again.”

Yuriy Filatov said, “I can guarantee Ukrainians will fight. By fighting we are winning some time for Europe to unite. And by winning this time, I ask you to use this time wisely to gather together to create the common strength to fight for freedom, for your freedom and for our freedom.

“We count on you for support. We don't think and don't feel that we are alone in this fight. For sure we will fight, but we also count on you.”

Dariia Borysenko  noted:

“The enemy is too big, too powerful for us to cope with on our own. That is why I appeal to you again and again: help us to be strong, help us to keep the Russians out of your homes, out of your cities – the places where it is still quiet and peaceful. Because it used to be like that for us too. We did not believe that it would be so frightening and large-scale. But disaster struck. So only through support, only through inner strength – and each of us in our place is doing the maximum we can – can we withstand this.”

She added: “The Russians use the following tactic: they look for weak spots along the entire frontline. They test where they can break through, and then they reinforce that direction and launch an offensive. This is how it works all along the frontline. Constantly, in targeted ways, they are testing the borders of Europe. Shahed drones fly into European Union countries, a military aircraft crosses the border, a ship sails somewhere. If they are not pushed back in these pinpoint attacks, wait until they become massive.”

She is convinced that only through joint efforts between Ukraine and Europe, and by combining technological capabilities, can the aggressor be stopped and forced to feel the consequences of the war.

“You have technologies that we do not have. You have time to develop them – and we no longer do. Only together can we contain and repel the enemy, and bring the war onto its own territory. Because only when it hurts them – not here, not on our land… because those who die here are just numbers to them. They do not value human life the way we do. Only when it hurts them at home will they understand what this is and start to stop. Let's do this together," she concluded.

Denys Nokhrin is convinced that Ukraine must go beyond its own limits, continuously improve, and stay ahead of an enemy that learns quickly, while keeping the initiative.

“We must do more than the maximum if we want to win. More than what is written in our official duties, more than how we used to destroy the enemy by various methods, more than we even think we can. The enemy is indeed enormous, powerful, and it learns quickly – it truly learns. Because in most cases, it is we who invent the newest and more sophisticated solutions on the battlefield.”

“Four years of the full-scale invasion have proven that Ukraine is strong – Ukraine is a technological country. Even in years when we did not have sufficient ammunition and weapons, Ukraine managed to regroup and to rapidly and powerfully develop its unmanned capabilities, inflicting significant losses on the enemy. You can see that the war has completely transformed, changed its course and direction – and believe me, it will continue to change. Because it is in times of war that technologies develop most intensively.”

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  www.youtube.com/user/PinchukFoundation

On 24 February 2026, the Victor Pinchuk Foundation and Yalta European Strategy (YES) held a discussion ‘Innovation & Pragmatism UA Style - Vital for Europe’ during the YES Special gathering on the occasion of the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. 

The discussion focused on the role of Ukraine’s army, defence industry, and technological innovation in strengthening Europe’s security. Participants included representatives of Ukraine’s defence industry, German and Finnish governments, and the international defence sector.

The discussion featured: Oleksandr Kamyshin, Advisor for Strategic Issues, JSC ‘Ukrainian Defense Industry’; Joachim Kaschke, Chief of Central Management Staff and Head of Special Staff on Ukraine, German Federal Ministry of Defence; Sven Kruck, Co-CEO, Quantum Systems; Sanna Marin, Prime Minister of Finland (2019-2023), Member, YES Board. Moderator: Carl Bild,  Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sweden (2006-2014); Prime Minister of Sweden (1991-1994); Co-Chair of ECFR; Member, YES Board.

Oleksandr Kamyshin shared insight on Ukraine’s defence industry transformation: “In 2022, we produced only 2,000 drones for the entire country. Today, one company produces 5,000 drones per day, and around 1,000 companies operate in Ukraine’s defense industry. It took us some time to get to this point.”

“In the air, more than 90% of Russian targets are now being engaged by drones. On the ground, last month alone we carried out 70,000 unmanned ground vehicle missions - logistics, medevac, combat engineering, mining and demining. In my view, unmanned ground vehicles are the next big thing - just as sea drones already transformed maritime warfare,” he added.

He also shared some details of Ukraine-Germany defence cooperation that has been recently launched: “Germany will be now funding 10,000 of drones produced in Germany and will send them to the front line. That's how we make our people stronger.” 

Sven Kruck shared his expertise on the development of defence technology in Germany: “In Germany, we are currently spending 1–2 billion euros, and this amount is increasing, particularly on unmanned systems. In the last eight months, I would say we have spent 400–500 billion euros on other systems, like tanks and other legacy equipment.”

“You always need a perfect symbiosis out of hardware, software and AI. There's still a path forward in 2026 to establish these elements and systems in a physical manner to get the data and AI done,” he said.

Joachim Kaschke raised the issue of the lack of industrial capacities in Europe for proper support of Ukraine: “Right now the real problem is not money and willingness. The real problem is industrial capacities. We need to bring up those capacities to have enduring possibilities of supporting Ukraine.”

“Ukraine needs us, yes, for support, but we also need Ukraine to learn from Ukraine”, he added.

Carl Bildt praised Ukraine’s success in defence innovation: “Four years ago, when this phase of the war began, Europe was focused on helping Ukraine by sending legacy systems — equipment produced for the Cold War and kept in our warehouses. That phase is largely over. Today, the focus has shifted to innovation: supporting Ukraine’s own defense industry, which already produces around 65% of what it needs — and that share will grow. The task now is to strengthen Ukraine’s innovation potential, not only for its own defense, but for the defense of Europe today and tomorrow.”

Sanna Marin shared her view on the role of NATO amid a looming Russian threat: “We need to explain to people why it is extremely important for every single European country, a NATO member state, to invest in their defense capabilities. And we must understand the Russian mindset - this is not only about Ukraine, but about rebuilding a larger Russian empire. The threat does not stop at one border, it concerns all of us.”

“If we just look at the latest news today - a NATO drill in Estonia - and consider the damage that a few Ukrainian drones can inflict on NATO battalions, the devastation is huge. Equally significant is the gap between NATO’s capabilities and Ukraine’s capabilities,” she said.

Sanna Marin also expressed hope that Ukraine would become a NATO member in the future: “I would wish to see Ukraine being part of the European Union, but also part of NATO. But not because of Ukraine, because Ukraine needs us. It's because we need Ukraine. We are not prepared, not technologically, we are not prepared to wage this modern warfare. And if we don't learn extremely fast, we will be extremely vulnerable.”

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  www.youtube.com/user/PinchukFoundation

On 24 February 2026, the Victor Pinchuk Foundation and Yalta European Strategy (YES) held a discussion ‘Survival: Bottom Line’ during the YES gathering on the occasion of the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Participants of this panel discussed how secure military and financial support for Ukraine is, considering domestic political developments in the United States and across Europe. 

Participants included Radosław Sikorski, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland; Kurt Volker, Distinguished Fellow, Center for European Policy Analysis; Chrystia Freeland, Former Deputy Prime Minister of Canada (2019–2024), Advisor to the President of Ukraine on Economic Development; and Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen, Deputy Speaker, Seimas.Moderator – Gideon Rachman, Columnist, Financial Times. 

Opening the panel, Gideon Rachman, asked, is survival all that Ukraine can hope for? Is survival victory?

Kurt Volker, responded first, saying: “There is only one outcome that is possible. Ukraine survives as a sovereign, independent European democracy. A prosperous country with security guarantees. There is no other outcome here. Ukraine is not going to be defeated. Russia is not going to be victorious. That is more than survival – that is Ukraine thriving and prospering in the long run. The only issue is time. How much time do we let this go on? Can we accelerate that timeline so that Ukraine can really take off and Russia is contained in its ambitions.

“The way we can impact time is to really put pressure on Putin now, which we’re not doing. President Trump has done a lot of things, but the single ingredient that is missing is getting Russia to stop, and that requires serious pressure on the finances and the military.

“President Trump’s failure is that he listens to Putin, Putin says he wants peace, he wants to end the war, and that there is a deal to be made with Russia for billions of dollars, after the war has ended. Therefore, we see this extended war, peace negotiations going round in circles because Putin is not serious, and Ukrainians having to play the game so they are not blamed, at the same time knowing there is no real peace to be had.

“We have to keep pressing for President Trump to realise that he is being strung along by Putin. There is no pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. It is just a story.”

Radosław Sikorski brought the conference good news from the meeting of the Coalition of the Willing, saying: “The President of the EU Council and the President of the EU Commission both said that the decision on the €90bn loan for Ukraine, stands, will be executed and will be disbursed.”

He also commented on the current situation with the US approach, saying, “The current administration is trying to re-define the trans-Atlantic deal. Traditionally it was that they protect us from Russia, but we paid deference, particularly in security matters, and bought American weapons. Now they want to protect us less, and to pay less for it, but want us to pay more deference and buy more US weapons.

“I suspect President Trump thought if he did not do another supplemental package then Ukraine would find itself in difficulty much faster and the war would be ended because Ukraine would be forced into concessions. He will find that that while having European support Ukraine is not falling and therefore that the war cannot be ended without Ukrainian and EU agreement.

Europe is paying for the war 100%. Eventually, Putin will find he cannot end this war without Europe.”

Chrystia Freeland, asked whether, given that there is no pressure on Putin, the peace talks are premature, or whether they offer a solution or possible way out of the war, responded: 

“Those of us who are not Ukrainian, those of us whose sons are not soon going to face a choice about whether they will sign up to fight, need to be quite humble when it comes to voicing views about how long Ukraine should fight. Sure democratic allies have supported Ukraine. It is easy to write a check than it is for your son, husband or brother to die. The question about whether/when Ukraine should end the war should be 100% in the purview of Ukrainians.”

Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen, Deputy Speaker, Seimas, speaking about the change in strategy needed to end the war, said, “The idea of ‘strategic patience’ has failed. Autocrats have all the time in the world to be strategically patient. Democratic cycles are frightfully quick. At some point there will be a pro-Russian government in one or two or three western States and that will become a big obstacle. Putin and Lukashenko have no time constraints. They play a game with no rules and no time constraints.”

Talking about the change in the US approach, she continued, “The world has changed, that is the reality. We as Europe have to shoulder more responsibility for our own security. We have to act on the reality. It is so important not to throw Russia a lifeline now, not to keep it afloat. But we see it clawing its way back, we see it in sport, at all sorts of other common tables, and it is not helped by the US admin. Sanctions, painful measures, do work – we have to continue with them. Ignoring the reality as Europe, and as the Eastern flank, would be very dangerous.”

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  www.youtube.com/user/PinchukFoundation

On 24 February 2026, the Victor Pinchuk Foundation and Yalta European Strategy (YES) held a discussion ‘The Politics of Ending the War: Voters, Vibes, and Leadership’ during the YES Special Gathering on the occasion of the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. 

During the panel discussion members of parliament from France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, Sweden, Finland, Denmark and other EU countries discussed voters’ political sentiments and the limits of what democratic leaders can realistically do. 

The following politicians joined the discussion: Andrius Kubilius, European Commissioner for Defence and Space (Lithuania); Sara Nanni, Chair of the Defence Committee for the Green Party Group, Bundestag (Germany); Alex Sobel, Member of the House of Commons (UK); Elisabetta Gardini, Vice President, Fratelli d’Italia Parliamentary Group in the Italian Chamber of Deputies; Aron Emilsson, Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Riksdag (Sweden); Peter Juel-Jensen, Deputy Chair of the Defence Committee, Folketing (Denmark); Rihards Kols, Member of the European Parliament, Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee (Latvia);  Ruslan Stefanchuk, Chairman, Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine; Włodzimierz Czarzasty, Marshal of the Sejm; Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen, Deputy Speaker, Seimas.

Kajsa Ollongren, EU Special Representative for Human Rights, moderated the discussion.

European Commissioner for Defence and Space Andrius Kubilius opened the discussion saying that the future of Europe depends on the future of Ukraine: “The future of Europe as a democracy depends absolutely clearly on the future of Ukraine.”
He also acknowledged Ukraine’s success in military technology innovation: “I have visited industrial factories earlier, and today I’ve been absolutely impressed with what Ukrainians produce, including missiles, air defence missiles. We can say in a very clear way that Ukraine is now an arsenal of democracy. Back in 2022, the whole production in Ukraine totalled 1bn euros. Now its production value is estimated at 50bn euros, which means they managed to increase production by 50 times. For us to increase it twofold or threefold would be a miracle.” 

“In the event of Russia’s war aggression, we’ll be facing a battle-tested aggressor, who is able to produce a lot of weapons, with a really clear understanding that we do not have that experience. And only Ukraine has such an experience on our side. So that is why I always reiterate that Ukraine’s EU membership and its integration into the European Defence Union is in our utmost interest,“ he added.

Chair of the Defence Committee for the Green Party Group in Bundestag Sara Nanni said: “Although there are so many different political contexts in which we as parliamentarians try to make a case for peace in Ukraine, we try to build a common understanding of the security situation in Europe and about the common battles we have to fight now and in the future for free Europe.”

Alex Sobel, Member of the House of Commons (UK), voiced concern over Russia’s interference in Western democracies: “We're witnessing a rise of populism across Europe, which we are certainly not immune to in the United Kingdom. This is  layered with Russian interference driving populist narratives, driving a message that our systems, our democracy is failing and that they need to turn to authoritarianism. And an underlying narrative is of stripping Ukraine of support and other narratives against Ukraine.”

Elisabetta Gardini, Vice President, Fratelli d’Italia Parliamentary Group in the Italian Chamber of Deputies,praised the courage of the Ukrainian people and assured of futher support: “The extraordinary resistance of a nation deemed inferior in numbers and means, but not in courage, defied every prediction and changed the course of history after four years.  Together with our partners, we will work with responsibility and determination to help achieve an outcome that ensures the Ukrainian people's security, stability and the future worthy of their sacrifice.” 

Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Swedish Riksdag Aron Emilsson warned against Russia’s potential threats to the rest of Europe: “Russia that succeeds in Ukraine will not stop at Ukraine. That is why Nordic Baltic countries are among the largest supporters of Ukraine relative to our size. And we have chosen action over hesitation.”

“Supporting Ukraine is not only an act of solidarity or charity, it's about strategic foresight. And the time to act is now. Russia will not stop. It must be stopped,” he added.

Peter Juel-Jensen, Deputy Chair of the Defence Committee, Folketing (Denmark), downplayed the narrative of Ukraine being a faltered democracy due to failing to hold elections during the war: “I think we all owe Ukraine and all the Ukrainians a lot. So we are owing you a lot, and you don't owe us anything when we are talking about how to make sure that democracy is still functioning in Ukraine. I have to say that you are one of the strongest democracies I have ever seen. I have been an election observer four times in Ukraine, and every time I have seen how democracy is working here.”

Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk said that elections could be held in Ukraine only if the following two principles are observed - security and democracy: “Elections can only be held if they meet two basic criteria. They must be democratic, and they must be secure. Without these two criteria, it is impossible to talk about elections.”

“The Ukrainian parliament is currently developing a clear legislative framework. We have set up a group to draft legislation on so-called post-war elections, and I think we will present the results of this draft law in the near future. After this draft law is developed, Ukraine will announce when these elections should take place,” he added.

Rihards Kols, Member of the European Parliament, Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, commented on the US role: “No matter how dire the time that we live in right now, we should not wait in for the weakness of emotions. They might pass. We are still relevant, the US is relevant for Europe and for Ukraine as well.”

Marshal of the Sejm Włodzimierz Czarzasty also touched upon the US shifting role and called for the EU to be more decisive in its defence: “The EU should be willing to undertake responsibility for the future of Ukraine, because at the moment the funding of Ukraine’s many needs has been provided by the EU. I don’t have anything against the USA. I just want those of you, who failed to understand what is going on, to open your eyes. We are witnessing the change in the balance of forces.”

“I strongly believe that the EU has to become stronger and more active. We have to wake up to a new reality,” he added.

Photos are available here 

Video will be on YouTube  www.youtube.com/user/PinchukFoundation

On 24 February 2026, the Victor Pinchuk Foundation and Yalta European Strategy (YES) held a Special Address with Steve Witkoff, Special Envoy for President Trump during the YES gathering on the occasion of the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Victor Pinchuk, businessman and philanthropist, Founder of YES, introduced a special address titled: “Ukrainian Peace Mediation” with Steve Witkoff, Special Envoy for President Trump and Aleksander Kwaśniewski, President of Poland (1995–2005), Chairman of the YES Board.

Victor Pinchuk welcomed the guests: “The United States under the leadership of President Trump is a vital partner for us. We can achieve an end to this war and secure peace with such a great and important partner.”

Alexander Krasniewski asked Steve Witkoff how a just peace can be achieved for Ukraine after four years of aggression and where the negotiations stand today.

Steve Witkoff replied: “I'm an admirer of the people of Ukraine. They're incredibly courageous. I've developed some really long-lasting and profound friendships with people who I have met from your country.”

“I trace the beginning of progress to the first Geneva meeting we had. We set forth a framework to solve all the possible issues and leave the issue of territory to the side for the time being. The most important of all those issues was security protocols from the United States and Europe because there is no deal unless the people of Ukraine can believe that they will be able to live in peace,” he went on to say.

“The second important agreement that we discussed was something that we now call the Prosperity Agreement. We believe it is important to show Ukrainians the potential for industry and economy once we had achieved a peace deal.

“Now, where are we today? I think we had some very productive meetings. We accomplished quite a bit, cut through a lot of what I'll call miscommunication between the two sides. We see ourselves as a mediator, not as a protagonist in this conflict.

“We've listened carefully to the leadership of Ukraine. I believe that we've opened up communication channels between the Russia and Ukraine. We have accomplished a lot in our trilateral meetings and the engagement between meetings is happening.

“We have made more progress in the last eight or nine weeks than we've made in the last four years. And so, I'm going to take that as a positive and hope that we can continue and build on that success,” he added.

Alexander Krasniewski asked: “If we get this peace deal, can we ever trust President Putin? Can we trust even successors of Mr. Putin? Will they resect Ukraine’s sovereignty?

Steve Witkoff responded: “We are not going to get a deal done unless we establish a positive relationship with both sides. I do believe that we're making progress and I am hopeful that this war will be settled. We're going to try as best as we can to bring the sides together so that they can get to a place of resolution.

“Our policy is that there can't be a peace deal unless the Ukrainian people feel strongly this will never happen again. We're going to do everything we can to help you to get to the right solution, the right peaceful solution, so that everybody in your country can live in peace one day. This is the predicate for the security guarantees,” Witkoff concluded.

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  www.youtube.com/user/PinchukFoundation

On 24 February 2026, the Victor Pinchuk Foundation and Yalta European Strategy (YES) held a discussion ‘Reward of Sacrifice: EU Membership When?’ during the YES gathering on the occasion of the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. 

The panel addressed Ukraine’s European integration and posed a key question: is there a real plan for Ukraine’s accession to the European Union? Participants included, Commissioner for Enlargement of European Commission Marta Kos, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine Taras Kachka, and other senior officials.

Opening the discussion, Carl Bildt, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sweden (2006-2014); Prime Minister of Sweden (1991-1994); Co-Chair of ECFR; Member, YES Board, said: “When Poland joined the EU the Polish and Ukrainian economies were roughly the same size. GDP per capita was roughly the same. Now Poland has five times the GDP per capita than Ukraine. This economic growth would not have been possible without accession.

“The voice of France is particularly important. I remember France was immensely sceptical about Ukraine becoming a member of the EU. But France has shifted significantly with this war. That shift by France was key in getting EU accession moving for Ukraine.”

Gabriel Attal, Former Prime Minister of France, President of Parliamentary Friendship Group France-Ukraine, National Assembly of the French Republic, said: “I think what you call the scepticism from France regarding Ukraine’s accession to the EU in the past was more a belief that we should address these issues whilst addressing the reform of how EU works. However, “Since the beginning of the war it has become a priority to defend Ukraine’s accession to the EU. Ukraine is attacked by Russia because Ukraine defends freedom and democracy. These are the values of the EU. Ukraine has chosen the values of the EU over those of Russia. We have a responsibility.

“I defend the concept of reverse enlargement. Instead of waiting 10-15 years for Ukraine to do some reforms and do endless negotiations, we should allow Ukraine to join now, with at the beginning a seat at the table on some institutions, limited voting rights, and without access to all EU policies. Then, we can negotiate over access to policies. We can start with simple things like Erasmus, then we go deeper and deeper into the single market and the tough discussions on the big issues, like agriculture.”

Marta Kos, Commissioner for Enlargement, European Commission, said: “Ukraine is not stuck, we are very innovative. If we were in the logic of being stuck, we would not have the fastest screening ever. We wouldn’t be able to (informally) open three clusters, with more to come soon. But the big question is when membership will come?

“We have to admit that the enlargement methodology we have today is made for peacetime - when candidates have enough time to make all reforms. We don’t have this time today. Enlargement has been the most successful foreign policy of the EU, but we have been stuck in the past because it has not been the priority.”

“The main idea of the EU is to have PEACE. I am so sad that we have sometimes seen these processes through an economic lens. What we can gain from enlargement today is peace. There has never been a conflict on the territory of EU. There have been wars in Europe, in Slovenia, in Bosnia-Herzegovina and now in Ukraine. We haven’t been able to stop wars in Europe. We should not forget that the EU is a peace project and Ukraine is contributing already for future peace all around Europe,” she added.

Taras Kachka, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine, told: “We will not make the EU weaker. Ukraine has made the EU stronger. We have been defending the EU for many years, with your support. Even if we join today, we will not make the EU weaker.”

He continued, “You cannot scare us with these ‘acquis’. We are implementing acquis from 2014 when we started to apply the association agreement. All policies in Ukraine, energy, statistics, etc. are based on the acquis. Ukraine is not looking for any shortcuts. We are doing this absolutely seriously. On the Rule of Law, anti-corruption, all our institutions are operating, it is a question of maintaining and improving on these things. We agreed a list of priorities and benchmarks and we will DO THIS. Before and after accession.

“Ukraine is sober but optimistic in its assessment,” he concluded.

Speaking from the audience, Aleksander Kwaśniewski, President of the Republic of Poland (1995-2005); Chairman of the YES Board, said, “Don’t compare this enlargement to Poland’s accession in 2004. It is a different time in history, we have Putin, Russia, aggression, the war, etc. etc. In 2003 I met the Pope in the Vatican, what he said was crucial, “Poland needs Europe. Europe needs Poland.” Today I repeat it. “Ukraine needs Europe, and we, Europe, we need Ukraine.” That’s the point.”

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  www.youtube.com/user/PinchukFoundation

On 24 February 2026, the Victor Pinchuk Foundation and Yalta European Strategy (YES) held a discussion ‘Who Can Make Russia Negotiate Seriously?’ during the 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.

The discussion asked tough questions about how the war will be ended and what options were on the table. 

Boris Johnson, Prime Minister of the UK (2019-2022), argued that Europe and the West are not doing enough to ensure a decisive Ukrainian victory. He called for increased military aid, tougher sanctions, and a more resolute stance, including putting European boots on the ground for non-combat roles, to show Putin the West's unwavering commitment to Ukraine's sovereignty and its future within the Western alliance.

Boris Johnson addressed the audience: “Wake up. Look at the reality. The United States supplies 70% of NATO's budget, 95% of NATO's heavy-lift capacity, 95%. Depending on whether you believe that the French ‘force de frappe’ actually works or not, the United States of America supplies 100% of Europe's nuclear deterrent, so we are technologically dependent upon the United States.”

“We're a long day's march from thinking that we can just abandon the United States and can do it on our own.  We must not try to sell that vision to Ukraine; it's a sham, a snare and a delusion.”

Gideon Rachman, Columnist, Financial Times, moderator of the discussion,  pointed out that “Germany has massively increased its defence spending. Europe is providing all the military aid and all the financial aid. So it's a bit perverse to be attacking the Europeans when it's America that's cut off the military aid and cut off the financial aid.”

Boris Johnson stressed: “There just isn't enough urgency. There's too much complacency in Europe about this. The mere fact that these generals, and these incredible troops have been able to keep going for four years has bred a kind of apathy”, he added.

“Europe, the West, needs to realise that this thing is not going to end until we give more support.

Don't endlessly concede ground or decide that we're not going to give weapons or take away Ukraine's fundamental right to join whatever international body it chooses. Why are we doing that? It's pathetic. The most important thing of all is to end the war decisively in favour of Ukraine. To show Putin that we in the West are actually committed to the freedom of Ukraine, and the long-term destiny of Ukraine is part of the West.”

Hugo Dixon, Commentator-at-Large, Reuters, said: “We need to flip the switch. The first step is to move the entire account out of Belgium to the EU so that it would be far harder for Moscow, and frankly Washington, to bully the whole of the EU. Some may say that Hungary is going to do a U-turn anyway, but we need to put pressure on Hungary to make its U-turn.”

Chrystia Freeland, Deputy Prime Minister of Canada (2019–2024), Advisor to the President of Ukraine on Economic Development, commented: “The response of the Global South at the G20 Finance Ministers meetings was a huge disappointment to me. Those countries I thought would be sympathetic to a war of imperial aggression, chose to see it as a fight about America. To me that has been a great disappointment and actually a great miscalculation, and it's one of the reasons that I have great doubts about the idea we can live in a multilateral, multi-polar nirvana.”

To conclude the session, Gideon Rachman asked Boris Johnson if he could define victory. “A victory for Ukraine would be a free, sovereign, independent country that could choose its own destiny, because that is what it's fundamentally all about.

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  www.youtube.com/user/PinchukFoundation

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 

On 14 February 2026, on the occasion of the Munich Security Conference, Yalta European Strategy (YES) and the Victor Pinchuk Foundation hosted the 9th Munich Ukrainian Lunch on the topic ‘Ukraine: Futures’ Frontline’.

The discussion brought together senior politicians, business leaders, and experts to discuss the perspectives for ending Russia’s war against Ukraine, strengthening European security with Ukraine, and integrating Ukraine as a powerful source of security, innovation, and future economic growth into Europe.

Opening the event, Victor Pinchuk, businessman and philanthropist, YES Founder, thanked Ukraine’s partners for support, and at the same time emphasized on their insufficient efforts to ensure Ukraine's victory in this war: “Thank you very much for everything, our European and American friends. But unfortunately, that is not enough. And frankly speaking, four years (of war) in the centre of Europe, in the 21st century is a very long time. You need to understand that in this historic moment you have to be more decisive. You must do more, even if sometimes it seems painful to you.” 

Petr Pavel, President of the Czech Republic, admitted that Ukraine’s success requires more support and concrete steps from Europe: “First, we will have to speed up delivery of all necessary military equipment and support to Ukraine, not to lose any more territory and to create a favourable situation on the ground.“
He added that Russia is paying an extremely high cost for waging a war in Ukraine: “Russia insists they hold a strategic initiative, but the cost for every square kilometer of Ukrainian territory is enormously high. It exceeded last month the capacity for recruitment.”
“If we are able to maintain that level of support or increase it, while being very decisive when it comes to strengthening sanctions, especially against Russian shadow fleet, transporting oil from Russia, then we might create favourable conditions for Russia to understand that they can’t achieve more success on the ground and that the only way is to negotiate. I am not sure that Russia is there,” he concluded.

Edgars Rinkēvičs, President of Latvia, also stressed the need to put more pressure on Russia: “We don’t see any signs from Russia to accept any kind of offers on possible peace deals. We can see only diplomatic gaming and rejection.”

“The only way for us to secure peace in 2026 would be by increasing pressure on Russia, most political and economic through sanctions on the shadow fleet and so on, and of course, by supporting Ukraine,” he added.

He also brought up the importance of security guarantees for Ukraine: “We are talking about very solid security guarantees. If we don’t have those, then I very much agree, we are going to have a problem both in Ukraine and in Europe.”

Dick Schoof, Prime Minister of the Netherlands, said: “We have to stay positive and be hopeful. But at the same time, we need to be realistic and strengthen Ukraine, put pressure on Russia all the way we can. And Europe has to play its part in that.”

He also warned against forcing Ukraine into signing a peace deal with Russia on unfavourable terms: “We must prevent this. The only peace that can be reached is a just peace.”

Mette Frederiksen, Prime Minister of Denmark, blamed Russia for being the party failing to agree to peace: “I think that our main problem is that Russia doesn’t want peace. I don’t think that they want peace with Ukraine, and I don’t think that they want peace with Europe. That’s our problem.”
“The only language that Russia understands is power. So if we want peace in Ukraine, we need to give Ukraine what they need to fight back,” she added.

“There are still red lines on what weapons can be used in Ukraine. We have been having this discussion for almost for years - you cannot win a war with one of your arms in the back,” she added.

Andrej Plenković, Prime Minister of Croatia, stressed Ukraine’s progress in military innovation: “Ukraine has become Europe’s shield, defence innovative hub and an example of a new transformative resilience unseen before.”

Taras Kachka, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine, stressed the importance of continued support to Ukraine: “All of us see what we have managed to achieve over these four years - incredible things. This means that we are capable of deterring Russia and we need to continue this path.”

Wolfgang Ischinger, Chairman, Munich Security Conference; Member, YES Board, also called for more pressure on Russia to end the war: “We need to conclude that if we want this war to end, hopefully, rather sooner than later, the only way forward is to increase the pressure on Russia - economically, politically, strategically and militarily.”

Margus Tsahkna, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Estonia, called for a paradigm shift in public debate around Ukraine: “Everyone is talking about how to support Ukraine, and that is the right thing to say. But actually, we need to start talking and thinking this way: ‘We need Ukraine. Europe needs Ukraine for peace, for resources and for the future’.”

Troels Lund Poulsen, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the Kingdom of Denmark, spoke about joint ventures in defence production with Ukraine: “We have the first company that will start production in Denmark this year. This is FirePoint. They produce Flamingo missiles. And they are actually building a factory in Denmark. Hopefully, more will come.”

Eric Schmidt, Former CEO and Chairman, Google; Chair and CEO, Relativity Space, said: “In the last three years that I've been working on this, what I've seen is the development of an extraordinarily innovative national security military infrastructure in Ukraine.”

“After Ukraine successfully holds back Russia and Ukraine gets better integrated in Europe, they will be the primary arms supplier to all of Europe because they're so good at what they do and because they're so inexpensive,” he added.

Marta Kos, European Commissioner for Enlargement, commented on Ukraine’s path to EU membership: “Based on the current methodology, 1 Jan 2027 is not possible (as a date of Ukraine’s accession to the EU). But we have to find a solution to bridge the gap between the merit-based principle and the methodology that we have been using for the past 40 years, as well as geopolitical challenges on the other side. We cannot wait anymore.”

Jens Spahn, Chairman of the CDU/CSU Parliamentary Group, German Bundestag, said: “We, Europeans, share common dreams, but we have different nightmares because of history. And you can see a different sense of urgency if you talk to the Baltics, Poland or Portugal for geographical reasons. And there are many other topics where we have different approaches too. But I would say that on this one (war in Ukraine), we are really united in a way we haven't seen before.”

“Putin is not going to win this war and we will support Ukraine financially, politically and with all the equipment needed as much as possible,” he added.

“I see a lot of speeches that are really good, but now we need to act. We need a Europe of pioneers," Jens Spahn said. 

Yulian Pylypey, Company Commander, 1st Separate Marine Battalion, shared his ordeal in Russian captivity and gave a piece of advice to European leaders based on his experience: “You cannot assess Putin and Russia through the lens of conventional politics, because it doesn't work. Because you miss the most important, and sometimes this might cost you your life. So the only way for you to assess them is only through intelligence services and a psychiatrist. Because that maniac (Vladimir Putin) is truly sick.”

Yaryna Chornohuz, UAV Operator, 140th Separate Reconnaissance Battalion of the Marine Corps, said: “Putin’s biggest tool of terror in this war is an oblivion of losses - the price that is paid. So please never forget losses. Never forget guys, women who gave their lives for Ukraine.”

Photos are available here

Video video is availablehere

For the first time this year the Victor Pinchuk Foundation in partnership with the Munich Security Conference (MSC), the Office of the President of Ukraine, and the  Ukrainian Council of Defence Industry, will open a dedicated Ukraine House in Munich, which run during MSC2026.

More information about Ukraine House in Munich, please check the website https://securityconference.org/en/ 

For the 9th time, the Munich Ukrainian Lunch on occasion of MSC served as a platform for global and Ukrainian decision-makers to discuss Ukraine’s security and its implications for Europe and the international order. Among speakers in previous years have been Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy; Petr Pavel, President of the Czech Republic; Alar Karis, President of the Republic of Estonia; Ulf Kristersson, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Sweden; Chrystia Freeland, Deputy Prime Minister of Canada (2019-2024); Edi Rama, Prime Minister of Albania; Kaja Kallas, Prime Minister of Estonia; Sanna Marin, Prime Minister of the Republic of Finland (2019-2023); retired Lt.-Gen. Keith Kellogg, US President’s Former Special Envoy for Ukraine;  Mette Frederiksen, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Denmark; Andrej Plenković, Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia; Maria Malmer Stenergard,  Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Sweden; Kristrún Frostadóttir, Prime Minister of Iceland, as well as experts like David Petraeus, Robert Gates, Zanny Minton Beddoes, Anne Applebaum, James Mattis and others.

Over the past six decades, the Munich Security Conference (MSC) has become the major global forum for the discussion of security policy. Each February, it brings together more than 500 senior decision-makers from around the world, including heads-of-state, ministers, leading personalities of international and non-governmental organizations, as well as high-ranking representatives of industry, media, academia, and civil society, to engage in an intensive debate on current and future security challenges.

On 14 February 2026, on the occasion of the Munich Security Conference, Yalta European Strategy (YES) and the Victor Pinchuk Foundation will host the 9th Munich Ukrainian Lunch, titled ‘Ukraine: Futures’ Frontline’.

Today Ukraine is the frontline of Europe’s future and can be key to making Europe secure. But this frontline is under vicious attack and needs decisive and sustained support.

How are the perspectives for ending Russia’s war against Ukraine, strengthening European security with Ukraine, and integrating Ukraine as a powerful source of security, innovation, and future economic growth into Europe?

The discussion will bring together senior politicians, business leaders, and experts to discuss  where we stand and how to make our future secure with Ukraine.

Among the speakers of the Munich Ukrainian Lunch will be: Petr Pavel, President of the Czech Republic; Alexander Stubb, President of the Republic of Finland (tbc); Edgars Rinkēvičs, President of the Republic of Latvia (tbc); Andrej Plenković, Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia; Mette Frederiksen, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Denmark; Dick Schoof, Prime Minister and Minister of General Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands; Ulf Kristersson, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Sweden (tbc). 

The discussion will be moderated by Zanny Minton Beddoes, Editor-in-Chief, The Economist.

Among other participants will be: Radosław Sikorski, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland; Anita Anand, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada; Beate Meinl-Reisinger, Federal Minister for European and International Affairs of the Republic of Austria; Troels Lund Poulsen, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the Kingdom of Denmark; Margus Tsahkna, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Estonia; Mihai Popșoi, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Moldova; Marta Kos, European Commissioner for Enlargement; Onno Eichelsheim, Netherlands Armed Forces; Christian Freuding, Chief DEU Army; Joachim Kaschke, Head of Special Staff on Ukraine, German Federal Ministry of Defense; Valdis Dombrovskis, Commissioner for Economy and Productivity; Implementation and Simplification; Richard McCormick, United States House of Representatives; Sarah McBride, United States House of Representatives; Brian Fitzpatrick, United States House of Representatives, and others.

On 14 February 2026 at 13:30 (GMT+1), watch the live streaming of the Munich Ukrainian Lunch on the YouTube channel of the Victor Pinchuk Foundation https://www.youtube.com/live/-Zt1lQNqx7w 

For the first time this year the Victor Pinchuk Foundation in partnership with the Munich Security Conference (MSC), the Office of the President of Ukraine, and the  Ukrainian Council of Defence Industry, will open a dedicated Ukraine House in Munich, which will run from February 13–14 at Kardinal-Faulhaber-Straße 14.

More information about Ukraine House in Munich, please check the website https://securityconference.org/en/ 

On February 13, at the Ukraine House on the margins of the Munich Security Conference, the Victor Pinchuk Foundation will present an exhibition curated by Björn Geldhof, Artistic Director of the PinchukArtCentre. The exhibition will highlight threats to Europe’s security and ability to change with the necessary speed. Ukraine, fighting to defend European security and innovating to survive, is the frontline of Europe’s future. The exhibition includes, among others, the emblematic work of Oleksii Say “Change or Die” – a Ukrainian message to Europe that is urgent but forward-looking.

For the 9th time, the Munich Ukrainian Lunch on occasion of MSC will serve as a platform for global and Ukrainian decision-makers to discuss Ukraine’s security and its implications for Europe and the international order. Among speakers in previous years have been Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy; Petr Pavel, President of the Czech Republic; Alar Karis, President of the Republic of Estonia; Ulf Kristersson, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Sweden; Chrystia Freeland, Deputy Prime Minister of Canada (2019-2024); Edi Rama, Prime Minister of Albania; Kaja Kallas, Prime Minister of Estonia; Sanna Marin, Prime Minister of the Republic of Finland (2019-2023); retired Lt.-Gen. Keith Kellogg, US President’s Former Special Envoy for Ukraine;  Mette Frederiksen, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Denmark; Andrej Plenković, Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia; Maria Malmer Stenergard,  Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Sweden; Kristrún Frostadóttir, Prime Minister of Iceland, as well as experts like David Petraeus, Robert Gates, Zanny Minton Beddoes, Anne Applebaum, James Mattis and others.

Over the past six decades, the Munich Security Conference (MSC) has become the major global forum for the discussion of security policy. Each February, it brings together more than 500 senior decision-makers from around the world, including heads-of-state, ministers, leading personalities of international and non-governmental organizations, as well as high-ranking representatives of industry, media, academia, and civil society, to engage in an intensive debate on current and future security challenges.

15 September 2025, Kyiv, Ukraine – The Annual Meeting of the Yalta European Strategy (YES) “HOW TO END THE WAR?” was held on 12-13 September in Kyiv. Over 800 leading politicians, diplomats, businessmen, servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, veterans, civil activists, and experts from more than 30 countries took part in the conference organised by YES, in partnership with the Victor Pinchuk Foundation.

During the second day of the YES meeting, speakers and participants discussed topics including: The State of the Country, The State of the War & What We Need to End It, War on the Ground, Reforms & Fight Against Corruption, Security Guarantees for Ukraine, Is Russia Winning or Collapsing, Drones & the Future of Warfare for Ukraine, Will Historians Consider a Ukrainian Victory and How to End the War?

In conversation with Fareed Zakaria, Host and Bestselling Author, CNN, on ‘The State of the Country’ panel discussion, Oleksii Sobolev, Minister of economy, environment and agriculture of Ukraine, Taras Kachka, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine and Sergii Marchenko, Minister of Finance of Ukraine,  discussed Ukrainian investment potential and EU membership.

Sergii Marchenko, Minister of Finance of Ukraine, stressed the importance of continued financial assistance to Ukraine: “We need more money than previous year, because the war continues. We haven't seen a final stage of this war yet. So we need to prepare, we need to prepare our military, we need to prepare our people to fight for another year of war. So we need money. Our uncovered gap for next year is around 16 bn euro, and it's still counting.”

Oleksii Sobolev, Minister of Economy of Ukraine: “We are looking to stimulate investment in Ukraine. We have been approached by the global mining companies who are looking at more and more investment deals. Minerals from Ukraine are important and allow us to be less dependent on China. If we are able to build new tools and models to become less reliant in the supply chain then it is very good. It isn’t just about minerals; it is about energy and infrastructure.”

Victor Pinchuk, founder and member of the Board of Yalta European Strategy, businessman and philanthropist presented a video-message from President Donald Trump.  

In the video The 47th President of the United States said: “Congratulations on the 21st Anniversary of YES. I don’t think war will end on the battlefield, instead it will end on the negotiation table. That is why I had a productive initial meeting with President Putin last month in Alaska, and a very positive Summit with President Zelenskyy and European leaders at the White House. We are continuing to work hard for peace.” 

Chrystia Freeland, Deputy Prime Minister (2019-2024) and Minister of Finance of Canada (2020-2024), said: “Ukrainians know what is best for them. We have become more accustomed to hearing from Ukraine what they need from us. What I am hearing now is what Ukraine can give us. Just as we underestimate how Ukraine responds to war, we underestimate the impact on what they have done in military innovation over the last few years.”

Denys Shmyhal, Minister of Defence of Ukraine, shared his view on what’s needed to put an end to the war in Ukraine: “A strong Ukrainian army, more weaponry, deep strike attacks on the Russian territory, destabilizing (Russian military) bases and strong sanctions. This will lead us to the first stage of the end of the war. The end of this war means that the Ukrainian army is so strong that Putin can't continue his aggression, can't repeat his aggression in the future.”

“We are capable of protecting not only Ukraine, but also Europe. We need to have enough drones, we need to have enough funding to produce these drones. We ask for some artillery, ammunition, but we don't ask for something extraordinary because we have already adapted to this war,” he added.

Commenting on the current state of affairs on the battlefield, Andriy Biletsky, Commander of the 3rd Corps of Armed Forces of Ukraine, said: “The key issue is developing a strategy and new tactical approaches. Whoever develops them first will be the winner without any doubt. Technical solutions already exist and are fairly straightforward. In addition to the ongoing revolution in aerial drones, we are on the verge of another revolution, in my opinion. This is the revolution of ground-based robotic systems, which will radically change the battlefield and replace a significant share of soldiers, both in terms of logistics and combat use.”

Yevhen Moysyuk, Deputy Defence Minister of Ukraine, said: “I am confident that, within a relatively short period of time, appropriate, effective, and sufficiently inexpensive solutions will be developed that can be implemented quickly and on a large scale. This will result in another shift on the battlefield, enabling sufficiently effective manoeuvres to be carried out. Whoever succeeds in this first, will find it easier to prevail.”

Ihor Obolensky, Commander of the 2nd Khartia Corps of the National Guard, said that European states could fall victim to Russia if Ukraine lost the war: "If Ukraine does not hold the ground, European society will be the next one. And believe me, Russia will not give up on its desires."

Andriy Hnatov, the Chief of General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, echoed this view: “I’m appalled that we are watching the dictator prepare for new steps, but for some reason we think that he will not proceed. He definitely will. And everything that is happening, for example, the attack violating the airspace of a NATO member country, Poland was evident. It was not a mistake. It was not an accident. It was a deliberate act of aggression. And to ignore this is the most foolish thing one could do right now.”

Chrystia Freeland, Deputy Prime Minister (2019-2024) and Minister of Finance of Canada (2020-2024), moderated the next panel, ‘Reforms And Fighting Against Corruption’.

Taras Kachka, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine, stressed the importance of anti-corruption efforts in Ukraine on the path to EU accession: “Now we approach a tipping point in the accession talks that will require three or four years of very intense work of all government institutions. Because now we've been planning what we need to do. This autumn, when we open negotiation clusters, the negotiations will start, but they will take place in the form of reporting to the EU and negotiating between ourselves on how we change ourselves in order to live according to EU rules, the way of doing businesses, dealing with people, but also in alignment with governmental institutions.”

Semen Kryvonos, Director, National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine, said: “If we talk about the institutional capacity of NABU (National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office, we can say that this is one of the guarantees of our future accession to the EU.”

Oleksandr Klymenko, Head, Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office, said: “The fact the number of anti-corruption probes in Ukraine has increased over the years of war is not proof of the rise of corruption. This is the proof of efficiency and higher efficiency of work.”

Ruslan Stefanchuk, Chairman, Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, assured of the parliament’s willingness to back anti-corruption efforts in Ukraine: “The Ukrainian parliament is ready to continue doing its best to ensure that anti-corruption system and fight against corruption in Ukraine is carried out at the highest level.”

Jimmy Panetta, Member of the US House of Representatives, during the panel discussion “Security guarantees for Ukraine’ pointed at the importance of US participation in security guarantees: “I do believe that when it comes to security guarantees, the US has to be there. The US has to provide the backing or the guarantees that need to be provided.”

Igor Zhovkva, Deputy Head, Office of the President of Ukraine, during the panel discussion ‘Security Guarantees for Ukraine’ stressed the importance of providing security guarantees for Ukraine. Among the main components he named strong Armed Forces of Ukraine, European boots on the ground, assurances similar to NATO Treaty’s Article 5, Ukraine’s EU membership and sanctions against Russia. “The number of countries willing to provide contingents or even parts of their contingents is growing. And it’s very good. But it’s only one of the components of security guarantees,” he explained.

Hanno Pevkur, Minister of Defence of the Republic of Estonia, suggested looking at the issue of security guarantees from a different angle: “When we have an understanding that the best security guarantee for Europe today is Ukraine with the strongest army in Europe, then may be this would be easier for us to understand how to help Ukraine win this war.”

Meanwhile, Radoslaw Sikorski, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland, downplayed the efficacy of discussion about security guarantees for Ukraine: “If there is some kind of peace, the next time Russia tries something against Ukraine we might go to war with Russia. I find that not very credible, because if you want to go to war with Russia, then do it today. And I see no volunteers. There is nothing more dangerous in international relations than giving guarantees that are not credible.”

“I have an intellectual problem with this whole discussion of security guarantees. Ukraine already has guarantees, they were called assurances, in the Budapest Memorandum. Those assurances have been broken and not only by Russia. I don't see any evidence that Putin is about to make a deal. So my worry is that this self-absorbed discussion about the peace operation is distracting and demobilizing our political class and our public from the more urgent task, which is to find the money and the equipment for Ukraine for next year and the year after that,” he went on to say.

Gillian Tett, FT Columnist and Provost of Kings College Cambridge and Trey Yingst, Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent, Fox News moderated the panel “Is Russia Winning or Collapsing?”

Niall Ferguson, Milbank Family Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University, criticized a weak response of the West to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine: “The sanctions' regime has failed utterly, partly because no one was serious on either side of the Atlantic about cutting off revenues to Russia from its exports of fossil fuels. But also because of a massive hypocrisy by European states that have continued to export to Russia via third countries.”

“And now that this project of supporting Ukraine is essentially an EU plus UK project, the most urgent thing that we need to discuss is how can Europe possibly match the current scale of arms production on the other side?” he asked, referring to Russia’s relationships with China*, Iran* and North Korea.

“Ferguson's law states that if you are spending more on interest payments than on defense, then you will be in trouble quite soon with your foreign policy. So from Putin's point of view, the trends are mostly his friend. Ukraine is reliant on the support of democracies and democracies are fickle. Putin is reliant on support of autocracies”, concluded Ferguson. 

Jade McGlynn, Head of Ukraine and Russia Programme Centre for Statecraft and National Security, King’s College London, invited Europeans to ask themselves some of the questions about the possible outcome of the war in Ukraine: “The question is not how Ukraine defines victory, but rather how Europe sees it. What do we want in Europe? How do we want this war to end? Do we want Ukraine to win? Do we want Russia to collapse? Is there somewhere in between? And once we've decided what we want, then I think we can also talk about to what extent that's realistic or even achievable. But I'm pretty certain that in most European countries, even the most pro Ukrainian, we still haven't really come to terms with the question of what we actually want.”

 Happymon Jacob, Editor, India’s World magazine: “I don’t see Russia collapsing. We need to define what victory is, and what it looks like. Russia has suffered significant losses but that doesn’t amount to its military defeat. Ukraine’s lack of victory and inability to push Russia back is a victory in some way. Russia is increasing its production and increasing its military. We need to define what victory is, before we get it. We need to be clear about the basics.”

Andrius Kubilius, Commissioner for Defence and Space, European Commission, during the panel discussion ‘Drones and the Future of Warfare in Ukraine’ said: “If the predictions, for example, of German intelligence service, that Putin can be ready to test Article 5 (of NATO Treaty) in three or four years, whatever, in Poland, in Baltic States or in Finland even, we shall face battle-tested Russian army which is stronger than it was back in 2022 and which is able to use millions of drones.” 

Major General Christian Freuding, German Federal Ministry of Defense, addressed Europe’s need to upgrade its military and adjust it to modern warfare: “Of course, we have to invest much more into new technology, much more into unmanned systems. And I think what is really a challenge for military decision makers for the years to come is to hit the right balance between what we called legacy systems and between new technology.”

Sanna Marin, Prime Minister of Finland (2019-2023), Member, YES Board, said: “I think warfare will look very different a year from now. It already is.”

Eric Schmidt, Former CEO & Chairman, Google, also reflected on the changes in modern warfare: “Here is the problem: Europeans are doing exactly the same thing that the Americans are doing. They are doing more tanks. And, by the way, there are no tanks on this battlefield. It’s a land war with no tanks. Do you know why? Because drones kill tanks within about 30 seconds.”

“Tanks are not needed anymore. What you need is more automated air defense systems. The easiest way for Ukraine to hold and eventually repel Russia is to have an integrated air defense system that does not allow the air war,” he added.

David Petraeus, KKR Partner, Chairman of the Global Institute and Chairman of KKR Middle East, praised Ukrainians’ innovative approach to waging a war: “All of these wonder systems provided by the West are now of a very mixed effectiveness if they are effective at all, because the Russians have indeed deployed countermeasures to them. And Ukrainian systems not only cost 1/10 or 1/20 price of Western systems, they are probably 10 times more effective.”

Oleksandr Kamyshin, Advisor to the President, Office of the President of Ukraine, said: “At this point, we are ready to scale up, we are ready to match Russians, but the point is how we fund it, how we fuel it.”

Timothy Snyder, Professor, University of Toronto, during the panel ‘What Will Historians Consider a Ukrainian Victory?’ said: “Not a sufficient, but a very important and necessary condition for victory, is sovereignty. And sovereignty doesn’t necessarily mean that the state formally exists, it doesn’t just mean that it formally has borders, but sovereignty means some things that we can specify - like the ability to set your own domestic policy, the ability to write your own constitution, the ability to set your own foreign policy.”

Yaroslav Hrytsak, Professor of Ukrainian Catholic University, offered his point of view on what victory could mean for Ukraine: “Our understanding of Ukrainian victory is to leave Russian space and to join the West as a new and transformed Ukraine.”

 Dmytro Finashyn, Hero of Ukraine, veteran, Advisor to the Minister of Internal Affairs on Veteran Policy, said during the final panel: “My principle is, practice as you preach, so when we discuss how we should end the war, we talk about consolidation, and acting together. But we see nations continue to trade with Russia, get richer by supplying the components Russia uses to build their arms. Jet-powered shaheds that we now find it hard to shoot down have a bunch of Western-made components. I won’t name the companies. But we have to make the decision about where we are. Are we on the good side or the bad side? In the light or the dark?.”

Meanwhile, Yehor Firsov, Commander of Muramasa UAV strike unit, 21st Separate Regiment, 3rd Army Corps, concluded: “We have to destroy Russia’s belief in possible victory. The Russians' belief that they can defeat us is busted only by our strength. Only strength, only drones, destruction of enemy equipment, destruction of enemy infantry, our deep-drone flights hitting the refineries and plants producing their drones. Yet this can work the other way round.

What, let's say, makes them believe that they can defeat us? This is a weakness – not just ours, but everyone's.

Pauses, indecisive statements, untimely statements, untimely decisions. All of this gives them an impetus.” 

Oleh Sentsov, a filmmaker and serviceman of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, said: "I don't see this war as a local conflict where Russia attacked Ukraine. This is a broader conflict, with the 'axis of evil' that has already been formed, China, Iran and their other satellites, led by Russia. They are trying to change the world order and expand old borders, create new spheres of influence and work not according to the principles professed by civilised society, but their own authoritarian ones. That is why this is not only a battle for our freedom, it is a battle for the future of this world."

Volodymyr Demchenko, Commander of the Unmanned Systems Battalion, 93rd Separate Mechanized Brigade, said: “We’ve heard a lot about peace. Everyone wants peace for Ukraine. I believe everyone should also realise that there can be no peace with terrorists. With our partners we have to defeat the terrorist state that keeps killing our citizens, our people, our children with impunity. We sustain huge losses of our citizens.”

Mariia Nazarova, Tactical medic and NAEMT instructor, said: I might be the worst person to end this panel, because I do not see the end of this war. I have dedicated my whole life since 2014 to the army. Every time we have come up with something new on the battlefield Russians copy it and do it a bit better.”

Aleksander Kwaśniewski, President of the Republic of Poland (1995-2005), Chairman YES Board, closed the YES Annual Meeting 2025, with the final thought: “We cannot end the war because we have Putin, and we have Russia. He is not interested in finding the end of the war. He wants Ukraine to remain in his sphere of influence, and he will try all methods. The main problem is Putin, and the successor of Putin, as this war is supported by Russians. We admire Ukrainian courage. No one expected you to be so brave, so organised, so determined. Kyiv is independent, free and nice for all guests of the world. Your determination is something we need to continue! We need to continue our support and assistance; military, financially and diplomatic. We too often focus on our own problems. We cannot waste time and efforts on our domestic problems – they are peanuts in comparison. To America - we need fair negotiations, and we need peace. I understand the temptation to get results quicker. We need to be clever, we need to be wise and we need to be patient. This aggression cannot be continued in the world of the 21st Century.”

The partners of the event were: Google, Kyivstar and The International Renaissance Foundation.

Photos are available here and on the website  yes-ukraine.org/ua/photo-and-video 

Videos from the panel discussions and conversations are here www.youtube.com/user/PinchukFoundation

Partners of the YES Annual Meeting 2025:  Alphabet Inc., The International Renaissance Foundation and Kyivstar.

13  September 2025: The YES Annual Meeting 2025 How to End the War was held on September 12 – 13, 2025 in Kyiv. Over 800 leading politicians, diplomats, businessmen, servicemen of the armed forces of Ukraine, veterans, civil activists, and experts from more than 30 countries took part in the conference organised by YES, in partnership with the Victor Pinchuk Foundation.

During the first day of the YES meeting, speakers and participants discussed topics including: Where Are We With Ending The War, How to Finally Put Maximum Pressure on Russia and When Is Europe Ready for a Russian Attack? Conversations were held with President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Finland Alexander Stubb, Special Presidential Envoy for Ukraine General Keith Kellogg, Yvette Cooper  Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs of the United Kingdom, and Andrii Sybiha, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.

Victor Pinchuk, founder and member of the YES Board, businessman and philanthropist, opened the event by saying: “I believe we are on the way to victory. We will win. But when I say this, I am not naïve. When we speak about victory, very often we speak in a too narrow way. Ukrainians have been fighting to free themselves from an empire for centuries. To move to freedom, independence, and Europe. And in this great way, we are very close to success. Of course, I mean close on a historical scale. And in big part because, for the first time today, the civilised world supports us.”

Introducing President Zelenskyy, for the keynote session, Victor Pinchuk said, “Mr. President, you are often compared with Churchill or Lincoln, and we are proud that Westerners make such comparisons. But for us Ukrainians, it is fundamentally important to see that you are the successor of the historical mission of Khmelnytsky, Mazepa, and Hrushevsky, who fought for Ukrainian independence and identity. Moreover, Mr. President, you have a unique chance not only to be their successor, but also to fulfil their mission—if our generation and our children's generations will finish our historical mission. If sovereign, independent Ukraine will join the European Union and have real security guarantees.”

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in his speech, urged world leaders to put more pressure on Vladimir Putin to make him end the war against Ukraine: “Some may think that territory swaps or attempts to entice Putin with the resumption of trade with the USA or the rest of the world could stop this war. This is not the case. The Russian war machine will only stop when it runs out of fuel.”

Regarding the peace agreement in exchange for Ukrainian lands, President Zelenskyy said: “Giving Putin any piece of Ukrainian land so that he stops the war is out of the question. And this is not a solution, it is a pause instead. Just like it was after 2008 in Georgia, just like it was after 2014 in Crimea and Donetsk. We need to end this war once and for all, we need guaranteed security for ourselves, for Ukraine, for Ukrainian children. We need Russia to be held accountable for what it did to Ukraine, to Ukrainians, to our people.”

Fareed Zakaria, CNN Host & Bestselling Author introduced Alexander Stubb, President of Finland to the next session. Zakaria asked Stubb about Finland’s close relationship with President Trump. “In peace mediation it takes patience. I don’t think direct military pressure is on the cards, but I do think that the US is getting increasingly frustrated with Putin. You can see that President Trump wants to put more economic pressure if not military pressure. Russia can tolerate pain in a way that is difficult for us in the West to understand. The only thing that Russia understands is power and that is what we have to show.”

General Keith Kellogg, assistant to the U.S. President and Special Presidential Envoy for Ukraine, told the audience, “We are exceptionally close to the end. The last ten yards are the hardest part of the fight. We’re in the last ten yards and close to the end as long as the partners stay strong.”

Jonathan Powell, National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, said, “Putin’s sport is Judo. He likes to counterbalance action with reaction. He likes having options. If we can close his options off and leave him with only one, he will take it. The main message we should be sending, is real pressure to convince him the war will go on for a long time if he doesn’t make peace. His summer campaign has failed, the Russian economic position is not good, the whole economy is a war economy. If we can apply the pressure POTUS is talking about through targeted sanctions, we might bring him to the table.”

Günter Sautter, Foreign Policy and Security Advisor to the German Chancellor, during a panel discussion titled, “Where are we with ending the War? told the audience, “We want to be clear in words and deeds. We’ve made budgetary provisions in Germany that make us the biggest donor for Ukraine, now and in the years to come. We’re making swift and tangible progress and are able to do things together that a short time ago we did not dream of. The (NATO) Hague summit was a historic sign of resolve, a clear and direct message to Russia. We are preparing, we are putting our money where our mouth is, and we are determined.”

Xavier Chatel, Diplomatic Advisor for Strategic Affairs and Disarmament to the President of the French Republic, said, “Much of what we have been trying to achieve in the last months has been about changing the conversation. Russia has been trying to preface any ceasefire or settlement by demanding ludicrous concessions from Ukraine, which are not only illegal and immoral, but we also know that Russia has a huge track record of not sticking to its word. The issue is to give Ukraine the space to enter into any kind of negotiation. The basis of this is by doing robust security guarantees, which means a steady flow of arms to Ukraine, a robust future force model, equipped, funded and supported by all of us, which means we need to have reassurance forces we can deploy into Ukraine to ensure there is no resumption of the conflict, and to enshrine all this in some kind of legal framework.”

Andriy Yermak, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, during the panel ‘Where are we with ending the War?’, said emphatically, “We have to have a solution to the question, ‘How will Russia pay for this war?’. If there are no consequences for Russia, we risk them doing it again. There are proposals to give Russia back the frozen assets if there is a ceasefire. Our answer is, NO, this is not the price of a ceasefire.”

Fabrizio Saggio, National Security Adviser and Diplomatic Counselor of the Italian Prime Minister, discussing the issue of how to utilise the frozen Russian assets, said: “We need to coordinate the EU approach with the G7 approach. This is not only a European issue, there are many billions of these assets in G7 countries.”

In a conversation with Niall Ferguson, Milbank Family Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University, General Keith Kellogg spoke about the Alaska Summit.  “President Trump is a big believer in diplomacy – at least he got him [Vladimir Putin] on the ground and talked about it. He opened the door and at least established a level of discourse.”

Niall Ferguson pointed out: “This is not the first Russian war that is wasteful in terms of Russian lives. Putin will only listen to strength, and President Trump has that strength.”

General Kellogg said: “There are three different approaches to holding Putin to account; diplomatic, military  and the rest is economic.  If you look at the strength of sanctions from a scale of 1-10, we’re at a 6.  But we are at an enforcement level of 3.”

Carl Bildt, Minister of Foreign Affairs for Sweden (2006-2024) and Prime Minister for Sweden (1991-1994) moderated the next conversation, between Yvette Cooper, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs of the United Kingdom, and Andrii Sybiha, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.

“We need to take the incursions into the Polish airspace seriously. We support the Polish and NATO forces in shooting down [Russian hostile targets]. We need a strong response, or Putin will continue to reach into other countries’ stability and safety. That is why we support the Article 4 process, we support Ukraine, and drone development. Ukraine has huge technology expertise. The work we have done with France and other members of The Coalition of the Willing is critical”, said Yvette Cooper.

Andrii Sybiha, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine: “We have all the chances to win this war this year. But Russia wants to evade sanctions. Putin wants to gain time and make leeway with more Ukraine territories. He wants to push the US out of peace talks. We have to counteract Putin and his objectives. We must arrange a meeting with Zelenskyy and Putin and/or a trilateral meeting with Trump and other European leaders.”

During a conversation with Ukrainians who returned from Russian captivity, Yulian Pylypei, Marine, Armed Forces of Ukraine, PoW, told the audience, “The most difficult period in 2.5 years’ captivity was when they were processing the ‘judgement’ against me. They forced me to sign papers saying that I gave orders to kill civilians in Mariupol. I said I would not sign it, then the officer said, did you assume that somewhere in Mariupol there would be civilians. I responded, “That’s why we were there, to protect the civilians. Did you assume when you hit the drama theatre or the maternity ward that there would be hundreds of civilians?” After I said this I woke up in my cell, I had lost consciousness after a beating.”

Valerii Horishnii, Chief Sergeant of the Azov Corps, National Guard of Ukraine, said, “The captivity made me better and stronger. A dragon has never died of a snake bite. I need to use the fact I am better and stronger to help our army keep going. I instruct people how to protect or return our land. I also want to emphasise the intention of our partners to do something to get our PoWs back from captivity.”

Tetyana Teplyuk, Combat medic of the Azov Corps, said, “I had faith in my country and I believed my country would get us out. I told my colleagues when they got down. “You joined the Azov battalion, you knew you might go to the frontline, that this might happen, so let’s stay strong.”

Volodomyr Mykolaienko, former mayor of Kherson and political prisoner, said, “Russia is fighting against the truth and trying to destroy everything, people’s lives, families, entire cities, infrastructure like the dam. But the truth will always prevail. Russians are very skillful at using pain against you. They can turn everything into pain but there is no pain that will turn a lie into a truth.

They can beat you with rubber batons every day, they can electrocute you every day for years, but they cannot beat these men and women, they have chosen their path of evil, and it is difficult to turn back. They cannot turn their monster country into a civilised country. Ukrainians may be beaten and broken, but you never turn a Ukrainian into a Russian – that’s certain.”

Speaking on the panel ‘How to Finally Put Maximum Pressure on Russia’, Gabriel Attal, Prime Minister of the French Republic (2024), said: “We can do better. We need to be more methodical and more precise. We have to do more, where it hurts the most. We have to be more efficient on the shadow fleet. We also need to help more Ukrainians take down the oil refining system. We need to hurt them most – with intelligence, missiles and oil.”

Gabrielius Landsbergis, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania (2020-2024), added: “We have to admit the fact that this war won’t be finished in a diplomatic way – it will be solved on the battlefield. Ukraine is showing us how to do it.”

Boris Johnson, UK Prime Minister (2019-2022): “We had the meeting in Alaska. The contact has been made. We have to change Putin’s strategic goals. We need more economic sanctions – we need to free up frozen assets for Ukraine to buy weapons. I cannot stress enough – we need Putin to realise he has lost. If he thinks there is a chance that Ukraine can come under the umbrella, he will persist. The problem is we are vague. We need to be clear that there is no other way.”

Trey Yingst, Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent, Fox News: “As journalists we need to make people care and make them understand the issues. Our citizens won’t demand solutions for Ukraine if they are not aware of them. We need to capture the stories of the faces above me – we can keep the people of Ukraine at the top of headlines and at the top of people’s minds.”

Asked to comment on the incursion of 20 drones into Polish airspace, during the final panel of the first day of the YES Annual Meeting 2025, ‘How to End the War’, Radoslaw Sikorski, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland, said, “We don’t believe in twenty mistakes at the same time. The incursion was accompanied by a tsunami of Russian disinformation. We have been surprised by some of the narratives. This was not an attack by Ukraine, it was unequivocally an attack carried out by Russia via Belarus and Ukraine. The intercept was flown by allied pilots, and none of the drones reached their targets.”

Kaupo Rosin, Director General, Estonian Foreign Intelligence Service, speaking on the panel ‘When is Europe Ready for a Russian Attack’ at the YES 2025, explained, “When Russians prepare for conflict they make two calculations – one is about escalation control, and the other is a comparison of the resources of their side and the opposite side. It is very important that these calculations come out in our favour in future. We need to make sure our plans are backed up by resources.”

Pavlo Palisa, Deputy Head, Office of the President of Ukraine, said, “Ukraine can help its allies prepare for Russian attack. We have something which cannot be bought, experience fighting against Russia. Russia is 28 x bigger than Ukraine in territory and 3 x bigger in population. Before full-scale escalation people thought it was the 2nd military superpower in the world. But we have withstood more than three and half years of full-scale invasion. We are ready to share our experience in air defence, how to manage it, how to fight against ballistic missiles, against Shaheeds, and other threats, to help our partners prepare.”

Moritz Schularick, President, Kiel Institute for the World Economy, said, “If you look at the numbers of support for Ukraine, for example from Germany. Only 0.15% of German GDP is being used to support Ukraine militarily. The best way to increase security in Europe is to increase these numbers significantly while we ramp up production. We must get the economics into defence, move on from entrenched national procurement systems. If we translate from talking about inputs into precise quantitative goals for what we want to produce, we can go very fast. This was the key insight from the pandemic.”

The partners of the event were: Google, Kyivstar and The International Renaissance Foundation.

More news about the  YES 2025 may be found on our website at: yes-ukraine.org

Photos are available here and on the website  yes-ukraine.org/ua/photo-and-video 

Videos from the panel discussions and conversations are here www.youtube.com/user/PinchukFoundation

12 September 2025, Kyiv, Ukraine – The Annual Meeting of the Yalta European Strategy (YES) “HOW TO END THE WAR?” was held on 12-13 September in Kyiv. Over 800 leading politicians, diplomats, businessmen, servicemen of the armed forces of Ukraine, veterans, civil activists, and experts from more than 30 countries took part in the conference organised by YES, in partnership with the Victor Pinchuk Foundation.

The YES Annual Meeting 2025 focused on discussing the following topics:

• Where Are We With Ending the War?
• How to Finally Put Maximum Pressure on Russia?
• When Is Europe Ready for a Russian Attack?
• An agreement or ceasefire – how could specifics look?
• Is it possible to force enemy to the negotiations table? How?
• When can Ukraine count on EU membership?
• Will Western Voters Refuse to Take a Risk for Ukraine?
• Is the Lesson from Ukraine that All Countries Need Nukes?
• The State of the War and What We Need to End It
• Reforms And Fight Against Corruption
• Security Guarantees for Ukraine
• Is Russia Winning or Collapsing?
• Drones and the Future of Warfare in Ukraine
• What Will Historians Consider a Ukrainian Victory?

Opening the event, Victor Pinchuk, founder and member of the YES Board, businessman and philanthropist, said: “In my opinion, we must end the war on a just basis. This will allow us to go to the end of our historical way and win in history. To win in history means to preserve our sovereignty, independence, security and join Europe. When I say join Europe, I mean: join the European Union.”

He also urged: “Give Ukrainians a superfast track to European Union membership. Of course, under the strongest ever conditions of domestic reforms.” 

Victor Pinchuk also expressed confidence that Ukraine’s territories currently occupied by Russia would eventually get back under Ukraine’s control. “I'm absolutely convinced that all Ukrainian territories that Ukrainians would like to have under their control would be back under Ukraine’s control sooner or later.”

He suggested that Russia is facing a dilemma right now - whether to continue the war or end it. “Russian economy is in a terrible state. Russia is more and more dependent on China, and has an incredibly high cost of war and huge human losses. This is why only truly strong sanctions against Russia and truly strong military support for Ukraine can help our enemy make the right decision in this dilemma - to end the war and stop the killing.”

Victor Pinchuk also expressed gratitude to US President Donald Trump for US military aid to Ukraine and urged him to pressure Russia into meaningful peace negotiations: “I think that only President Trump can make our enemy agree to serious negotiations.”

Victor Pinchuk also addressed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who was an honorary speaker at the event, saying: “Mr. President, for us Ukrainians, it is fundamentally important to see that you are the successor of the historical mission of Khmelnytsky, Mazepa, and Hrushevsky, who fought for Ukrainian independence and identity… Moreover, Mr. President, you have a unique chance not only to be their successor, but also to fulfil their mission—if our generation and our children's generations will finish our historical mission. If sovereign, independent Ukraine will join the European Union and have real security guarantees.”

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy in his speech urged world leaders to put more pressure on Vladimir Putin to make him end the war against Ukraine: “Some may think that territory swaps or attempts to entice Putin with the resumption of trade with the USA or the rest of the world could stop this war. This is not the case. The Russian war machine will only stop when it runs out of fuel”.

“A really strong pressure is needed so that instead of pursuing a goal to occupy Ukraine or any other country, Putin would pursue a goal to preserve his economy and his system,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy added.

“Giving Putin any piece of Ukrainian land so that he stops the war is out of question. And this is not a solution, it is a pause instead. Just like it was after 2008 in Georgia, just like it was after 2014 in Crimea and Donetsk. We need to end this war once and for all, we need guaranteed security for ourselves, for Ukraine, for Ukrainian children. We need Russia to be held accountable for what it did to Ukraine, to Ukrainians, to our people,“ he concluded.

Among the speakers at the 21st YES Annual Meeting were: Victor Pinchuk, founder and member of the YES Board; Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine; Alexander Stubb, President of the Republic of Finland; Andriy Yermak, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine; Keith Kellogg, US President’s Special Presidential Envoy for Ukraine; Radoslaw Sikorski, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland; Taras Kachka, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine; Andrii Sybiha, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine; Denys Shmyhal, Minister of Defence of Ukraine; Hanno Pevkur, Minister of Defence of the Republic of Estonia; Maj-Gen Christian Freuding, German Federal Ministry of Defense; Katarína Mathernová, EU Ambassador to Ukraine; Evin Incir, Member of the European Parliament; Boris Johnson, UK Prime Minister (2019-2022); Gabrielius Landsbergis, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania (2020-2024); Gabriel Attal, Prime Minister of France (2024), Head of Parliamentary Friendship Group France-Ukraine of National Assembly; Yvette Cooper, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs of the United Kingdom; Jonathan Powell, National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom; Fabrizio Saggio, National Security Adviser and Diplomatic Counselor of the Italian Prime Minister; Xavier Chatel, Diplomatic Advisor for Strategic Affairs and Disarmament to the President of France; Günter Sautter, Foreign Policy and Security Advisor to the German Chancellor; Kaupo Rosin, Director General, Estonian Foreign Intelligence Service; Moritz Schularick, President, Kiel Institute for the World Economy; Anne Applebaum, Historian, Journalist and Commentator, The Atlantic; Wolfgang Ischinger, President of the Foundation Council of the Munich Security Conference Foundation, Member, YES Board; General David Petraeus, KKR Partner, Chairman of the Global Institute and Chairman of KKR Middle East; Happymon Jacob, Editor, India’s World magazine; Gillian Tett, FT Columnist and Provost of Kings College Cambridge; Kajsa Ollongren, EU Special Representative for Human Rights, Member, YES Board; Sanna Marin, Prime Minister of Finland (2019-2023); Svitlana Kovalchuk, Executive Director at Yalta European Strategy; Benjamin Haddad, French Minister Delegate for European Affairs; Chrystia Freeland, Deputy Prime Minister (2019-2024) and Minister of Finance of Canada (2020-2024); Carl Bildt, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sweden (2006-2014); Prime Minister of Sweden (1991-1994), Member, YES Board; Niall Ferguson, Milbank Family Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University; Trey Yingst, Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent at Fox News; Borys Gudziak, Metropolitan Archbishop of Philadelphia of the Ukrainian Catholic Church; Yulian Pylypei, Marine, Armed Forces of Ukraine, PoW; Valerii Horishnii, Сhief sergeant, Azov Corps, National Guard of Ukraine, PoW; Tetyana Teplyuk, Combat medic of the Azov Corps, National Guard of Ukraine, PoW; Volodymyr Mykolaienko; former mayor of Kherson, former political prisoner and PoW, and other distinguished guests. 

Photos from the YES Annual Meeting 2025 are available here 

Videos are available at our YouTube channel 

Partners of the YES Annual Meeting 2025: Alphabet Inc., The International Renaissance Foundation and Kyivstar.

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, Minister of Foreign Affairs 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

The Ukraine war is overshadowed by Iran and other crises. Isn't Ukraine’s situation bad but somewhat stable, isn't Europe doing more than it used to?

This is dangerous for Europe. Our security depends on Ukraine’s defense. This cornerstone is under savage attack. It is now only in Europe’s hands to protect it. We would fail to do so at our peril. We can do it. Will we?

We visited Kyiv last week after an unprecedented Russian drone attack destroyed residential buildings. At the front, Russia moves ahead, though at huge cost and snail's pace. Relentless Russian innovation to kill with ever new tactics is countered only by Ukrainian innovation to defend.

Our conclusion from speaking to officials, experts and military leaders is:

There is a clear and imminent danger for Europe if we don’t act more decisively now.

But quick action can contain the threat in Ukraine.

Ukrainian soldiers hold the front with courage and innovation. But while Ukrainians will never stop resisting, without more military support Ukraine can lose more territory. More cities might be captured.

This would put over 500 million European citizens at risk. The Kremlin wants to change borders beyond Ukraine in its attempt to restore its sphere of influence.

It wants to destabilize the EU, which it calls decadent and impotent. If Russia wins in Ukraine, they will not only multiply their hybrid attacks that already now do real damage in Europe.

We can not rule out that they will also prepare to attack NATO and EU countries militarily. For this, they will exploit people and resources from conquered Ukrainian territories.

Russia’s success would also boost those who aim to destroy Europe from within.

Radicals from AfD to Reform to Rassemblement National would seem proven right: Be careful confronting Russia.

A Ukrainian defeat would weaken Europe geopolitically. Now, Ukraine’s resistance takes up Kremlin resources.

That prevented Russia from propping up Syria's Assad or help Iran's regime in the amount they might have otherwise. A Russia buoyed by victory in Ukraine will be free to support bad actors worldwide – against Europe.

Also globally it will seem clear on whose side historical momentum is: those who attack to conquer and spit on rules. Democracies will have failed for everyone to see, in a case where aggressor and victim are completely clear, and happening right in Europe.

In mid-summer Brussels, Paris, London and Berlin, budget and social problems might seem our worst danger. But Europe’s physical safety is not a law of nature. Weak armies, populists hellbent on disrupting, and a deadly enemy next doors are a destructive mix.

Now is the time to act. Or we will regret to not have given more in summer 2025.

Because, and that is the good news from the conversations we had in Kyiv, we can do it.

Ukraine has capacity to produce itself much of the weapons it needs urgently. The unused potential is US$10-15 billion and growing.

Money to produce at full capacity right away can help block Russia from making bigger gains in 2025. True, some weapons are available only from the US, but Ukrainian production can solve most urgent problems.

We Europeans can do this ourselves, if the US stops giving money and arms to Ukraine. We can do it even if US$200 billion of Russian frozen assets will not be used (that would be a good way forward, but some countries object).

Here are the numbers:

Additional US$15 billion right now to fully use Ukraine’s production capacity in 2025 are question of political will.

The mid-term is also eminently doable: The war costs ca. US$100 billion, effectively covered by international support, while Ukraine raises sufficient amount of taxes to finance its regular non-military spending (such as pensions and salaries to doctors, and keep the government operational).

Of this international support, almost US$40 billion per year have come from the US.

This, Europe would have to take over. But to allow Ukraine to stop Russia, needed are additional US$30-40 billion per year for Ukrainian arms production and acquisition on the market.

So instead of US$40 billion p.a. until now, Europe would have to provide US$110-120 billion.

These US$110-120 billion are about 0,6% of the GDP of European NATO members (US$20 trillion). Until now, European NATO members gave about 0,2% of their GDP to Ukraine (bilaterally and through the EU).

The raise from 0,2% to 0,6% can be financed within the anyway planned increase of defense spending for NATO members (5% goal).

If Europe gives 0,6% of its GDP to Ukraine, this can stop Russia in Ukraine and hamper Russian preparation for attacking Europe.

It will buy time to build mid-term deterrence: to grow the European defense industry, devise and implement security guarantees for Ukraine, fast-track Ukrainian EU integration.

Such European decisiveness will also signal to the US: We don’t free-ride but take our fate into our own hands.

Are we up to the task?

One of our interlocutors in Kyiv said, Ukrainians are now prepared to die every night, and prepared to go to work every morning. If we don’t want our children to be at risk of dying every night, we better go to work and give Ukraine the tools to stop Russia.

When at the NATO summit members commit to 5%, Europeans must make clear they will do for Ukraine what is needed – in all our most vital interest.

The authors of this article are members of the Supervisory Board of the Yalta European Strategy (YES):

Carl Bildt, Prime Minister of Sweden (1991–1994) and Minister for Foreign Affairs (2006–2014);

Aleksander Kwaśniewski, President of Poland (1995–2005);

Sanna Marin, Prime Minister of Finland (2019–2023);

Kajsa Ollongren, Minister of Defense of the Netherlands (2022–2024).

Source: "European Pravda"

The Yalta European Strategy (YES) members of the Board held a series of meetings in Kyiv with government leaders, representatives of the diplomatic community and civil society, as well as with military personnel and veterans. The purpose of the meetings is to prepare the agenda for the 21st YES Annual Meeting, which will take place on 12-13 September 2025 in Kyiv.

The Yalta European Strategy (YES) members of the Board held a series of meetings in Kyiv with government leaders, representatives of the diplomatic community and civil society, as well as with military personnel and veterans. The purpose of the meetings is to prepare the agenda for the 21st YES Annual Meeting, which will take place on 12-13 September 2025 in Kyiv.

These meetings included high-level discussions with Ukrainian officials such as Andriy Yermak, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine; Denys Shmyhal, Prime Minister of Ukraine; Olha Stefanishyna, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine - Minister of Justice of Ukraine; Andriy Sybiha, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine; Kyrylo Budanov, Head of Ukraine's military intelligence, and others. A special meeting was also held with the ambassadors of the G7 countries and the heads of the NATO and European Union missions.

The discussions were focused on strategies to achieve peace, European and NATO military support, the repatriation of forcibly deported Ukrainian children, prisoner exchanges, and attracting investments in defense technologies.

YES Board was represented by Aleksander Kwaśniewski, President of Poland (1995–2005), Chairman of the Board of YES; Carl Bildt, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sweden (2006–2014), Prime Minister of Sweden (1991–1994); Kajsa Ollongren, Minister of Defense of the Netherlands (2022–2024); Sanna Marin, Prime Minister of Finland (2019–2023) and Victor Pinchuk, Founder of YES, the Victor Pinchuk Foundation, and EastOne Group.

Over twenty years YES has made an important contribution to shaping Ukraine's European future and encouraging international support for Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression.

See photos from the YES Board meeting here

Ukraine's freedom, independence and sovereignty is vital for the security of Europe. It is in the interest of the United States of America and the countries of Europe that brave Ukraine prevail against Russian aggression We want this war to end on a just basis. We call on European countries to rise to their ongoing responsibility and step up their support in every possible way. Let Ukraine and Ukraine's partners coolly keep in mind strategic goals, coordinate, overcome obstacles, and win together.

The exchange February 28 between the Ukrainian and US leadership was unfortunate but does not change the strategic interests of both sides in preventing the Kremlin from winning its war of aggression against Ukraine. It is critical for the two sides to move beyond the current obstacle and work to achieve a durable and just peace.

The members of the Board of Yalta European Strategy:

Aleksander Kwaśniewski, President of Poland (1995-2005), Chairman of the YES Board; Carl Bildt, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sweden (2006-2014), Prime Minister of Sweden (1991-1994);  Kersti Kaljulaid, President of Estonia (2016-2021); Sanna Marin, Prime Minister of Finland (2019–2023); Kajsa Ollongren, Minister of Defence of the Netherlands (2022–2024); Stephane Fouks, Vice President of Havas Group, Executive Co-Chairman of Havas Worldwide; Wolfgang Ischinger, Ambassador (ret.), President, MSC Foundation Council; Senior Fellow, Hertie School of Governance, (Berlin); and Victor Pinchuk, Founder of YES and Member of the YES Board, and Founder of the Victor Pinchuk Foundation and EastOne group.
#TimeToWin #WinWithUA

On 24 February 2025, the Victor Pinchuk Foundation and Yalta European Strategy (YES) held a discussion ‘Security Guarantees and Peace - What Will Work and What Will Voters Support?’ during the YES Special Gathering  in Kyiv “Three Years — Time to Win” dedicated to the third anniversary of Russia’s brutal and unprovoked full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Politicians and experts discussed strategies for securing Ukraine in a changing world.

Gabriel Attal, Former Prime Minister of the French Republic, Chairman of the Presidential Majority Group, said: “Talking about Ukraine, we are talking about Europe. My generation has only known the European Union, the single currency, enlargement. We thought we were experiencing the beginning of something, now we wonder if we are seeing the end of something.” 

“The good news is that in France, voters still support Ukraine. In a poll this weekend, more than 70% of French citizens said we should continue helping Ukraine, and even  increase our help to Ukraine.” 

“The question is, ‘what security guarantees?’ We can only answer that question when we have a peace agreement that Ukraine can accept. In the meantime, I think many people agree that NATO membership, Article 5, is the easiest and most efficient security guarantee.  But I'm always surprised that EU membership is not mentioned. The EU is a political project, and we have to push Ukraine’s EU membership as a security guarantee. My group of MPs in Parliament, has just voted to ask the French government and the EU institutions to accelerate the process for Ukraine's EU membership.”, added Gabriel Attal.

Miapetra Kumpula-Natri, Member of Parliament of Finland; Vice-President of PACE, commented: “The European Union has been supportive, but it's really time to double-check if we want to be a strong continent. On 24th February 2022, Finnish support to join NATO was around 20-22%. When we applied on 18th of May, the opinion polls were 85%. This is because we were speaking to our people about what membership really meant. So I call for countries to double-check the opinion of their citizens. Talk to your citizens about human rights. Talk about reality. Are they not in support of returning the deported children? Are they ready to forget the rules of war and the international order? 

“The time for talk is over. We have been promising for three years and now it is time to deliver.”

Alex Sobel, Vice-Chair of the British Group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, and Chair of Labour Friends of Ukraine and All-Party Parliamentary Group on Ukraine, asked by Gideon Rachman, Columnist, Financial Times, about Britain's willingness to commit troops to a peacekeeping operation, and whether if the US did not agree to provide a ‘backstop’ it would mean that Britain and France would not send troops to Ukraine, said, “We need new ways of dealing with the world. There is a battle of whether this new world is a democracy or autocracy. For democracy to win, we need to see democratic values, human rights at its centre..”

Carl Bildt, asked for his opinion on the idea of a back-stop provided by the US, said; 

“We (Sweden and Finland) are now members of NATO. We are happy with that, but for a generation we were prepared to defend our territories without a backstop from the US. We were not dependent upon American military support. Yet Finland was fairly defensible, Sweden was fairly defensible. Now, we are better with the backstop, but I wouldn't make everything entirely dependent upon that. It is desirable to have the Americans there, no question about it. But if the Americans back away, I'm not certain we Europeans should back away as well.”

Pavel Fischer, Chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defense and Security of the Senate of the Czechia, said, 

“If you keep explaining to people what is at stake, people will support you. This is my lesson as we consider what will work and what voters will support. If you keep making the point that without security there is no prosperity, voters will support you. We need to repeat the message that without bold investment in our defence, there is no future for our societies.”

Brendan Simms, Director, Centre for Geopolitics, University of Cambridge, stated: “Immediately after WWI there was a question of security guarantees there would be. The French wanted a British guarantee, and the British said we'll only give that guarantee if the Americans guarantee that guarantee. And so this becomes a dance and in the end, the whole thing unravels.” 

“I question whether forward deployment of ground troops is the best option. Providing a guarantee in terms of air defence or a no fly zone, seems to much more closely represent the added value from the UK and the broader European side”

“There is a constituency in the US which has got it into its head, that to be conservative means being pro-Russian. I can keep two things separate in my head. One is the state of Western European societies, which one can argue with, and the other is whether or not Ukraine has been unjustly attacked, which is perfectly plain.”

Alexander Kwasniewksi, former President of the Republic of Poland (1995-2005), Chair, YES Board, closed the YES Special Gathering  in Kyiv “Three Years — Time to Win, with the following remarks, 

“We know that this [Ukraine] is probably the existential issue for all of us today and in the future.”

“Of course we want to have peace, but peace cannot be a frozen war, it must be based on our values. So that is my appeal, especially to our American friends. Understand that Russia, and Putin, want to have the whole of Ukraine in their hands. That is not a place for compromise. That is not a place for some deal.”

“We Democrats, we Europeans, are fighting against ruthless power, lies, and effective propaganda. To fight these behaviours, we have to connect with our values, because that is our power, our moral advantage.”

Europe must be united. If we work together, we have enough power to win. If we want to see a better future for the world, Ukraine has to win.”

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On 24 February 2025, the Victor Pinchuk Foundation and Yalta European Strategy (YES) hosted a short speech “Future of Europe” by Benjamin Haddad, French Minister Delegate for European Affairs, during the YES Special Gathering  in Kyiv “Three Years — Time to Win”. The YES Special Gathering was  dedicated to the third anniversary of Russia’s brutal and unprovoked full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Politicians and experts discussed strategies for securing Ukraine in a changing world.

During his speech, Benjamin Haddad, the French Minister Delegate for European Affairs, spoke about the issue of European strategic autonomy, at what he called a critical moment in history.

“I was with President Zelenskyy and other Heads of State and Governments this morning paying tribute to the fallen heroes of this war. I was in the same spot 11 years ago during the Revolution of Dignity. At that moment, like today, the soul and identity of Europe was to be found in Kyiv. It can be found in the courage and heroism of Ukrainians.”

“Today President Macron is in Washington, DC to engage and have a dialogue with President Trump about our common interest, about the need for a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, about the fact that a quick and easy ceasefire will not lead to peace. It would lead to Russia regrouping, rearming and reattacking as we know and as recent history, regrettably, has proven in the last decade. And this is why we will continue our support for Ukraine. This is why we will step up our military and economic support. And this is why we will have to take our responsibilities when it comes to long-term security guarantees, not only for the stability and security of Ukraine, but also for the security of Europe.”

“When we look at the future of the transatlantic relationship, we have so many common values and interests with the United States. But we also have to hear when American leaders, Democrats like Republicans, tell us that Europe is no longer at the center of their interests, that Europeans need to step up and take more responsibility for their own security. And this is a turning point at a moment for Europeans to do this. 

And the first, the first critical moment where we will be tested on this issue of European defence and strategic autonomy is of course Ukraine, ensuring a lasting peace and the security guarantees that Europeans will have to provide. 

This will need massive investment in AI and Quantum, as well as a generational effort. 

When the rest of the world is going fast and accelerating, we have also to step up. But this will mean first and foremost being here for Ukraine because we know that this is no local conflict, this is no regional war. 

“I'm optimistic that we will face and we'll be at this moment of history where we need to be, that we will be here with the Ukrainians. And I know that you can count on all the Europeans.”, summarized his speech Benjamin Haddad.

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On 24 February 2025, the Victor Pinchuk Foundation and Yalta European Strategy (YES) held a special conversation with Howard G. Buffet, Chairman and CEO, The Howard G. Buffett Foundation, on the occasion of the YES Special Gathering  in Kyiv “Three Years — Time to Win”. The YES Special Gathering is dedicated to the third anniversary of Russia’s brutal and unprovoked full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Politicians and experts discussed strategies for securing Ukraine in a changing world.

Howard G. Buffett, Chairman and CEO, The Howard G. Buffett Foundation “Talking about foreign policy is important to us. We want the war to end for many reasons but one of them is that we have a finite amount of resources.”

Kajsa Ollongren, Minister of Defence of the Netherlands (2022-2024), YES Board Member, moderating the discussion, said:  “Ukraine has been fighting with one arm behind its back, sometimes two. Both the US and Europe have put restraints on them.”

Howard G. Buffett added: “This war needs to be ended justly and fairly for Ukraine. Maybe a result of this will be that Europe will understand how much it can really rely on the US.”

“Both Europe and the US have made the mistake of limiting what weapons Ukrainians can have and how they can use them. This is a war, not a trading zone. People are losing their lives.”

“Ukraine has done an incredible job of ramping up their weapons industry. Ukraine can absolutely win this war.

When Russia implemented the full-scale invasion I knew it was going to have global impact. I felt I had to engage. We’ve doubled our spending because of Ukraine,and we will keep up this level of funding.”

“Everyone who understands what is happening in Ukraine must go on with what they’re doing. Don’t stop.”

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On 24 February 2025, the Victor Pinchuk Foundation and Yalta European Strategy (YES) held a discussion  “Exit Poll: What German Elections Mean for Ukraine, Europe, the World” on the occasion of the YES Special Gathering  in Kyiv “Three Years — Time to Win” dedicated to the third anniversary of Russia’s brutal and unprovoked full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Politicians and experts discussed strategies for securing Ukraine in a changing world.

Mathias Döpfner, CEO, Axel Springer, entrepreneur and publisher of Der Spiegel and Politico, speaking on line from Berlin, where he has been covering the German election, said in summary, “The result of the German election was ambivalent. It is not an outcome that empowers bold changes. Merz has three coalition options, AfD, which is not going to happen, social democrats and greens, or a grand coalition with the social democrats. The negative result of this is that with the SPD as a coalition partner, there is less engagement and less commitment to defence ‘whatever it costs’, towards Russia. On the positive side, the Greens, in opposition, are not unanimously against all initiatives with regard to military support and a stronger European defence concept.”

He continued, “Friedrich Merz was one of the few who said support for Ukraine is unconditional and we have to do more. And that is surprisingly the subject of consensus between the CDU and the Greens.” 

“Scholz will not play a role in the new government. It is more likely that the defense Minister David Pistorius will play an important role, perhaps even as vice-chancellor. I think, if we get to this “constellation”, it should be a reason why Germany could become a more reliable and more courageous driver of more support for Ukraine in the EU. Germany could and should play a bigger role here and I think there is a basis to build on.”

“The strategic alliance of NATO and between Europe and America, is the foundation of the defense of our values. The growing dependency of Germany on Russian energy strengthened and financed the Putin we now have to deal with. That was an incredible strategic mistake. The lesson is that we should always see the overriding goal, and that is this alliance. I would not give up too early. I would try to make sure that alliance remains intact.”

Carl Bildt, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sweden (2006-2014); Prime Minister of Sweden (1991-1994); Member, YES Board, stated: “Friedrich Merz has been very explicit on his wish to take on a leadership role in the European Union. And with a stable government, there's no doubt that Berlin will be an even more important place in the years ahead on these issues. Phrases that we used to hear coming out of Paris, are now coming out of Berlin.”

Michael Gahler, Member of European Parliament, Standing Rapporteur on Ukraine, European People's Party, commented: “There is a huge challenge for mainstream parties to address the issues that voters have identified and want solutions for. The issue of Ukraine only came up in the very last days of the election with Trump’s betrayal of Ukraine. We should have addressed it proactively from the outset.”

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On 24 February 2025, the Victor Pinchuk Foundation and Yalta European Strategy (YES) held A Conversation with Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal on "Economic Survival, Economic Potential: Support Ukraine and Prosper?" on the occasion of the YES Special Gathering  in Kyiv “Three Years — Time to Win”. The YES Special Gathering is dedicated to the third anniversary of Russia’s brutal and unprovoked full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Politicians and experts discussed strategies for securing Ukraine in a changing world.

Aleksander Kwaśniewski, President of the Republic of Poland (1995-2005); Chairman, YES Board, moderated the conversation.

Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal is convinced that Ukraine is a shield of European security and the backbone of the joint European armed forces. "Today, Ukraine is a shield of European security. And our army can form the backbone of the joint European armed forces. And Ukrainian soldiers, who have gained invaluable combat experience, can actually offer an effective alternative to the 65,000-strong US troops deployed in Germany, Italy and Spain," the Prime Minister of Ukraine said.

Denys Shmyhal called on European partners to get rid of the illusion that this is exclusively a Russian war against Ukraine.

"The European Union is also at war now. This is a different war. We should not have the illusion that the war is only in Ukraine. We are defending the European borders on the ground, but Russian aggression is spreading across European countries and, in fact, not only European countries. It is undoubtedly a hybrid conflict, carefully planned, orchestrated and implemented by the Kremlin over the past decade. Russia is funding extremist movements across Europe, which aim not only to glorify Russia, but also to drive wedge between European societies. There is economic blackmail and cultivation of dependence primarily on Russian energy carriers. All of this is aimed at dividing Europe and hindering unity," emphasized Denys Shmyhal.

According to the Prime Minister, Ukraine's defeat will lead to a new continental war in Europe.

"Ukraine's defeat will trigger a dangerous ripple effect. The appeasement of the Kremlin's imperial intentions towards Europe will lead to the spread of Russian aggression to the West, in particular to the Baltic states. And it will lead to a new continental war. If Putin succeeds, Western democracies are in danger. Ukraine is now the last barrier and line between the democratic west and chaos. That is why Ukraine's victory is in the strategic interests of our allies in the West," underlined Denys Shmyhal.

He is convinced that rebuilding Ukraine will be an impetus for the economic prosperity in Europe.

"Recovery and reconstruction of Ukraine can become a powerful factor in the development of the entire Europe. We realize that there is a crisis in the international order, the world has changed. We live in a completely new world, in a new environment. The first to adapt to the environment will survive. We have to adapt to the new reality. We need to win and restore, or possibly build, a new security order in Europe," concluded Denys Shmyhal.

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On 24 February 2025, the Victor Pinchuk Foundation and Yalta European Strategy (YES) held a discussion “To Fear Evil or Stop Evil: Confronting 1938’s Mindset Today”, on the occasion of the YES Special Gathering  in Kyiv “Three Years — Time to Win” dedicated to the third anniversary of Russia’s brutal and unprovoked full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Politicians and experts discussed strategies for securing Ukraine in a changing world.

Brendan Simms, Director, Centre for Geopolitics, University of Cambridge, spoke to Roman Shvartsman, Head of the Odesa Regional Association of Jews –  Former Prisoners of Ghetto and Nazi Concentration Camps,  about his role in the 80th anniversary of the Auschwitz liberation, his family's suffering and the hope one can find in such environments.

“Roman lost family members in the Holocaust, he lived in the ghetto but he is also a victim of the current Russian war of aggression on Ukraine. His children and grandchildren are also under attack.”, said Brendan Simms, Director, Centre for Geopolitics, University of Cambridge.

Roman Shvartsman, Head of the Odesa Regional Association of Jews –  Former Prisoners of Ghetto and Nazi Concentration Camps,  addressed the participants of the YES Special Gathering with a speech (some quotes are presented below):

“Dear Ladies and Gentlemen.

To mark the 80th anniversary of the Auschwitz liberation I was asked to address the German Bundestag as a person that witnessed suffering and violence during the second world war.  Hitler wanted to exterminate me as a Jew, Putin wants to kill me as a Ukrainian.”

“You had pledged that this will not happen again. If you are serious, now is the time to stand by Ukraine. We need action at long last. Russia wants to conquer us and destroy us as an independent nation. They attack us day and night. They destroy our power, energy sector, they destroy Ukrainian culture and history in the occupied territories. We want to be free - we want to be part of a free Europe rather than a Russian colony.  

“Please gather your courage, please do it now. Otherwise, your free society will also crumble. I'm an old man; I had a chance to look the devil in its eyes. I can tell you that you are giving too much power to the evil. If you stand up together, if you overcome your fears, you will be able to defeat the devil.”

To listen to the speech please check our YouTube

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