YES and Victor Pinchuk Foundation Hosted the 8th Ukrainian Lunch on the Margins of the Munich Security Conference

15 February 2025

On 15 February 2025, on the margins of the Munich Security Conference, Yalta European Strategy (YES) and the Victor Pinchuk Foundation hosted the 8th Munich Ukrainian Lunch, titled YOUR COUNTRY FIRST — WIN WITH US.

The discussion during the Munich Ukrainian lunch explored the impact of the approach taken by the US administration to put an end to the war that Russia unleashed against Ukraine. The participants discussed the ways to broker sustainable and lasting peace in Ukraine and on the European continent, as well as the ways to deter Russia from breaking the peace deal. 

Among the speakers of the Munich Ukrainian Lunch: Victor Pinchuk, businessman and philanthropist, founder of YES; Gen. Keith Kellogg, US Special Presidential Envoy for Ukraine and Russia; Alar Karis, President of the Republic of Estonia; Mette Frederiksen, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Denmark; Andrej Plenković, Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia; Olha Stefanishyna, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine – Minister of Justice of Ukraine; Maria Malmer Stenergard,  Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Sweden; Kristrún Frostadóttir, Prime Minister of Iceland; Anna Kyrnychna, Instructor, Armed Forces of Ukraine; Oleksii Krymeniuk, Deputy chief of future plans cell (S3/5) 13th Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine “Khartiia”; Dmytro Finashyn, Hero of Ukraine, Advisor to the Minister of Internal Affairs, and other distinguished guests.  

Moderator: Zanny Minton Beddoes, Editor-in-Chief, The Economist.

Opening the Munich Ukrainian Lunch, Victor Pinchuk, businessman and philanthropist, founder of YES, called for supporting Ukraine in the fight for freedom against Russia’s aggression: “It’s very natural for any leader to treat the interests of their state as a priority. But when somebody says that the interests of their country come first, this means that they must support Ukraine, because national security should be an absolute priority. This means that you cannot let our terrible neighbour win, and you must support Ukraine, because this is in your best national interest.”

Gen. Keith Kellogg, US Special Presidential Envoy for Ukraine and Russia, shared the view of the US President Donald Trump’s administration on the ways to end the Russia-Ukraine war: “We have finally started to realize the need to bring this war to an end and to figure out how it is going to end. But we also need to ensure Ukraine’s sovereignty. We need to ensure that they are protected. And the question that you have to ask yourself is how to get there. The part of the process within this conference is to talk to the European alliance that is going to be a critical part of this.”

“Our philosophy is not to continue this war till the death of the last Ukrainian. The intent is to stop the carnage, stop the war, make sure that it’s reasonable and ensure that sovereignty (of Ukraine) remains intact,” he added.

“We do want to make sure that the peace is lasting and sustainable, and ensure the sovereignty of Ukraine, and that once this thing stops, it will never start again. Otherwise, the consequences will be enormous on either side,” Kellogg said.

Keith Kellogg also touched the potential threat of alliances that Russia makes with its allies: “You see North Koreans fighting in Ukraine. That means, potentially, if something bad happens in South Korea, you could see Russians fighting with North Koreans against South Korea. Understand the magnitude of that - this is something that we have to address.”

Olha Stefanishyna, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine – Minister of Justice of Ukraine, warned against turning a blind eye to war crimes committed by Russia in Ukraine: “This is the pressure that no one can put on Ukraine - to pretend that we don’t know it. We know it, we had to face it, and this is our common historical memory that will never be forgotten. The importance of Russia's accountability and justice is beyond question.”

“Surviving through the war is much more than having a good political dialogue. It’s a massive macro financial support to Ukraine and mobilization of lots of financial assets. It involves reforms and military assistance. This is not something that should be put on hold. It should be scaled up, and the role of the European Union is huge. In fact, while we are speaking about very important things, one of the fascinating EU member states is blocking Ukraine’s accession to the European Union.”

Alar Karis, President of the Republic of Estonia, shared his view on the role of Europe in securing lasting peace on the continent: “Our responsibility right now is to provide more military assistance to Ukraine. This is what Ukraine needs.”

Mette Frederiksen, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Denmark, elaborated on this thought and called for ramping up defence output in Europe: “The most important thing for me, personally, is to give Ukrainians what they need to win this war.”

Mette Frederiksen also invited European leaders to ask themselves some questions about Russia’s role on the continent: “Are we, as Europeans or Americans, willing to let Russia define European borders in 2025? Are we willing to allow North Korea, Iran and Russia to make decisions on the architecture of our security? Of course, the answer to these questions is a big “No”.”

“I’m not willing to let Russia make decisions for the rest of Europe,” she stressed.

Mette Frederiksen also expressed doubts that Russia would stop fighting after the ceasefire: “I don’t think that they (Russia) are going to stop. I’m sorry, but I haven’t seen any signals from Russia for many years that would underline Russian willingness to stop the war in Ukraine or anywhere else. I cannot say that we are at war, but are not at peace either.”

Andrej Plenković, Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia, warned against ending the war in Ukraine through signing yet another Minsk agreements: “If this pragmatic approach (of the US Administration) ends with a ceasefire, turning into some sort of alas, Minsk or Minsk 2 agreements, this will become a frozen conflict with the de facto occupation and illegal annexation by incorporating Ukrainian territories into Russian constitutional system. If this turns into reality, this is not a victory, not only for Ukraine. This is a failure for the entire international community and everything that we stand for.”

Andrej Plenković also downplayed the prospect of European boots on the ground in Ukraine: “I think that we are very far from that at this stage. Troops on the ground come in different conflict or post conflict situations, in different theatres of war around the war. But they are possible only when conditions are right. I don’t think that we are there yet.”

Kristrún Frostadóttir, Prime Minister of Iceland, shared her concerns about the US view on whether Europe should be a part of peace negotiations: “Iceland has been clear on this matter. We feel like Ukraine has to be at the (negotiation) table and Europe does too.”

Maria Malmer Stenergard,  Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Sweden,  said: “I’ve heard so many European politicians saying that Ukrainians are fighting not only for their freedom, but also for our freedom. But if they truly meant that, they would have delivered a lot more. This is up to all European countries to do whatever they can to make sure that Ukraine actually negotiates from a very strong stance. This is absolutely necessary, and it is about our future.”

Anna Kyrnychna, Instructor, Armed Forces of Ukraine, addressed the participants with a plea to help Ukraine win this war: “I’m asking you as a combat medic, and on behalf of civilians: “Please, don’t let them win in Ukraine.” Otherwise, the war can come to any other country. I don’t think that anyone wants it.”

Oleksii Krymeniuk, Deputy chief of future plans cell (S3/5) 13th Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine “Khartiia”, echoed this view: “Ukraine’s sovereignty and integrity should be crucial. It is crucial for deterrence of Russia’s further invasion of Europe. We know that Russia won’t stop in Ukraine, and if allow this, it will just continue and seize another country and territory.”

Dmytro Finashyn, Hero of Ukraine, Advisor to the Minister of Internal Affairs, called for inviting Ukraine to join NATO as a state with the army that has combat experience: “We will always be ready for war. A Ukrainian soldier is a person who has been tested in combat. This is very important. I have faced different fighters in battles, both experienced and inexperienced, and experience has always won out. This is critically important, and we have a huge army of people who have been through these battles. Believe me, they are much more ready to fight than those who have just been trained... It is important to remember that we are not the only ones who have such fighters. There are many more in Russia, and they are a formidable force that should not be underestimated. So, I suggest that we unite. Support us, strengthen yourselves, and invite us to NATO.”

For the eighth time, the Munich Ukrainian Lunch 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, President of the Czech Republic Petr Pavel, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Sweden Ulf Kristersson, Deputy Prime Minister of Canada Chrystia Freeland, Prime Minister of Albania Edi Rama, Prime Minister of Estonia Kaja Kallas, Prime Minister of the Republic of Finland (2019-2023) Sanna Marin, 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.

 

Photos from the Munich Ukrainian Lunch  are available here

Video is available here.

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Niall Ferguson
Niall Ferguson
Старший науковий співробітник Стенфордського університету, YES Annual Meeting, 2023
«Supporting Ukraine now is the best thing to do for the global economy»