On June 27, the International Conference «Ukraine and NATO on the eve of the Vilnius Summit: from support via victory to membership» was held.

The event was supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine in cooperation with the GLOBSEC Kyiv office, the Open Policy Foundation and the NATO Representation to Ukraine, as well as Hennadii Udovenko Diplomatic Academy of Ukraine at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and the Eastern European Studies Centre (Vilnius, Lithuania).

The conference was attended by the Deputy Foreign Minister Yevhen Perebyinis, Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Ihor Zhovkva, as well as representatives of state authorities, high-ranking officials of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, ambassadors of NATO member states, accredited in Ukraine, and leading Ukrainian and foreign military experts.

The participants discussed possible scenarios in the context of Ukraine's accession to NATO, as well as the prospects of providing additional guarantees to Ukraine on its way to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

«It will be possible to consider the Vilnius Summit as a successful one if the Allies take a decisive step from vague wording that Ukraine will become a NATO member to a clear algorithm that will show how and when it will happen» Yevhen Perebyinis emphasized.

Ihor Zhovkva noted that Ukraine realizes the impossibility of acquiring NATO membership before the end of the Russian-Ukrainian war. According to him, effective security guarantees should be provided to Ukraine at the Vilnius Summit, which will remain valid until its accession to NATO. This is how Ukraine should receive a clear algorithm for acquiring membership in the Alliance, which will be a powerful signal for the aggressor.

Director of the GLOBSEC Kyiv office Iulia Osmolovska stressed that both in Ukrainian society and in the political establishment of Ukraine there is an absolute unity of understanding that the security of our country lies only through acquiring NATO membership.

Ihor Zhdanov, the Head of the Information Defence project of the Open Policy Foundation, is convinced that a decision can be taken at the Vilnius NATO Summit that will make Ukrainian membership in the Alliance inevitable.

"At the Vilnius NATO Summit, first, it is necessary to take a decision on Ukraine’s admission to the NATO political organization, without extending effect of Article 5 of the Washington Treaty to our country. Second, to decide that Ukraine will become a member of the Alliance after the victory over Russia. Third, to sign an agreement on additional security guarantees for Ukraine, in particular regarding the continuation and strengthening of the provision of military-technical assistance to our country," Ihor Zhdanov emphasized.

The participants of the conference unanimously expressed the opinion that Ukraine is already a security contributor to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and will become a NATO member after the victory over the aggressor state Russia.