Please join the Atlantic Council’s Transatlantic Security Initiative, in the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, for a hybrid public event on “NATO membership and security guarantees: Getting Ukraine right at the Vilnius summit”. This discussion will take place on Wednesday, June 14, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. ET at the Atlantic Council’s headquarters (1030 15th St NW, Washington, DC 20005, 12th Floor, West Tower Elevators) and virtually.

Brave Ukrainians have confronted unrelenting assaults on their homeland since the Russian Federation’s unprovoked, full-scale invasion in February 2022. Although support from the North Atlantic Alliance and its member states has been crucial to Ukraine’s resilience on the battlefield, a commitment to the continued to provision of humanitarian aid and military equipment cannot be the only outcome at the upcoming NATO summit in Vilnius. NATO must revisit Ukraine’s future in the Alliance this July—something promised at the 2008 Bucharest summit but never delivered upon. The Alliance’s ability to get Ukraine right at the Vilnius summit with progress on the question of future NATO membership and security guarantees will be critical to not only securing Ukraine’s future, but that of the Alliance itself.

What security options might NATO consider in Vilnius to deter future Russian aggression and make progress on Ukraine’s membership after the war concludes? What tangible steps will be necessary to realize such guarantees following the summit? How might a path to membership and other security guarantees position Ukraine to prevail in its war with Russia and strengthen NATO’s collective security? To address these questions, the Atlantic Council will hold a public event to discuss ideas and solutions for securing Ukraine and advancing the country towards NATO membership in advance of the upcoming summit. Also under discussion at this event will be the Atlantic Council’s new report authored by the Hon. Franklin D. Kramer and Dr. Hans Binnendijk on “Providing Long-Term Security for Ukraine: NATO Membership and Other Security Options”.

This conversation will take place in-person and virtually and will be broadcast on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. To receive the event information, please register above.

Agenda

10:00-10:05 a.m.

Welcome remarks

Dr. Matthew Kroenig, Vice President and Senior Director, Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security; Director of Studies, Atlantic Council

NATO membership and security guarantees: Getting Ukraine right at the Vilnius summit

Support from the North Atlantic Alliance and its members has been crucial to Ukraine’s ability to confront the Russian Federation since the full-scale invasion in February 2022. But allies must do more than devote continued resources towards Ukraine’s defense at the upcoming NATO summit in Vilnius. Positioning Ukraine for success in its war with Russia—and strengthening the country’s security and stability in the long term—will require NATO to revisit the question of Ukraine’s long-promised membership in the Alliance. What security options might NATO consider in Vilnius to deter future Russian aggression and make progress on Ukraine’s membership after the war concludes? What tangible steps will be necessary to realize such guarantees coming out of the summit? How might a path to membership and other security guarantees position Ukraine to prevail in its war with Russia and strengthen NATO’s collective security?

Gen. James L. Jones Jr., USMC (Ret.), Executive Chairman Emeritus, Atlantic Council; Founder, Jones Group International; Former National Security Advisor to the President of the United States

The Hon. Franklin D. Kramer, Distinguished Fellow and Board Director, Transatlantic Security Initiative, Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, Atlantic Council

Ms. Kyllike Sillaste-Elling, Undersecretary for Political Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Estonia

Mr. Christopher Socha, Minority Staff Director, Senate Committee on Foreign Relations

Additional speakers to be announced.

Moderator: Ms. Leah Scheunemann, Deputy Director, Transatlantic Security Initiative, Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, Atlantic Council

10:05-11:40 a.m.
11:40-11:45 a.m.

Closing remarks

Ambassador Daniel Fried, Weiser Family Distinguished Fellow, Europe Center, Atlantic Council; Former US Ambassador to Poland and Assistant Secretary of State for Europe and Eurasian Affairs, US Department of State

Related program

The Transatlantic Security Initiative, in the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, shapes and influences the debate on the greatest security challenges facing the North Atlantic Alliance and its key partners.

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