Ukrainian and Allied legislators gather at NATO HQ, discuss requirements for Ukraine’s success in war and long-term security

As Ukraine will soon enter the fourth year of its defence against Russia’s full-scale war against it, parliamentary leaders from Allied countries and Ukraine, alongside senior NATO and Allied officials, reiterated their resolve to ensure Ukraine continues to get the support it needs to prevail.  

“It must be clear to all of us that if we allow Russian aggression to succeed, we risk catastrophic consequences around the world. China, Iran, North Korea: all are watching how Russia’s war in Ukraine will unfold,” said Portuguese lawmaker Marcos Perestrello de Vasconcellos, President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (NATO PA). In the face of this challenge, he stressed that the NATO PA’s Ukrainian colleagues “can count on our Assembly to continue to stand firmly by Ukraine’s side,” adding that “our friends in the United States delegation will remain strong advocates for Ukraine in the United States Congress [...] but we in Europe must step up as well.” 

The meeting of the Ukraine-NATO Interparliamentary Council (UNIC) brought together 29 parliamentarians from 15 Allied countries 10 and Ukrainian lawmakers at NATO Headquarters on 20 January.  

After the meeting, UNIC Co-Chairpersons, Oleksandr Korniyenko (Ukraine), First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada, and Audronius Azubalis (Lithuania), issued a joint statement.  

As the war continues, they emphasised that “it is critical that NATO and the international community remain steadfast in their commitment to Ukraine.” The Co-Chairpersons stressed that “ensuring a just peace for Ukraine is crucial for the preservation of the rules-based international order that rejects the use of force to alter borders and oppress free nations.” 

The Co-Chairpersons underscored this point by noting that “continued support – whether through military and economic aid, sanctions on Russia, or diplomatic efforts – remains essential to ensure Ukraine can secure a victory that restores peace and stability to Europe and beyond.” 

“Force and diplomacy must work together,” added Korniyenko. “We need long-range weapons, sanctions against Russia, and a strengthening of our defence industry. This is vital. It brings Ukraine and Europe as a whole closer together. We need the power of diplomacy to make peace lasting and to avoid a repeat of the war. Peace will not come by itself; we have to fight for it. It requires determination, unity, and continued support for Ukraine.” 

Maintaining this comprehensive, united support for Ukraine is the best way to change the trajectory of the war and put Ukraine in a position of strength, a number of participants stressed. 

NATO PA and Rada members re-emphasised that a critical component in Allied support for Ukraine remains the prospect for its membership in NATO.  Korniyenko stressed that, “inviting Ukraine to join NATO will prove to the Kremlin and all Russians that the war has lost all meaning, and the bloody dictator has achieved nothing.”  

Azubalis urged his fellow parliamentarians “to mobilise every effort to make this year a breakthrough year for Ukraine and NATO. If democratic nations demonstrate unity and courage, there is nothing they cannot achieve.”" He added that “the only guarantee of security for Ukraine and us is the invitation issued by the Hague Summit to Ukraine to join NATO and start the accession process, which may not be very fast.”  

At its November 2024 Annual Session, the Assembly passed a resolution which reaffirmed its unwavering support for Ukraine’s sovereignty, territorial integrity within internationally recognised borders as well as its irreversible path toward full NATO membership. It also called for the Alliance “to step up political and practical efforts to help Ukraine receive an invitation and become the 33rd member of NATO as soon as possible”. 

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, other senior NATO officials and Allied ambassadors updated lawmakers on the concerted efforts of the Alliance and its individual members to continue the provision of both short- and long-term support to Ukraine as it defends its sovereignty. Such support is comprehensive, spanning provision of materiel, development of Ukraine’s defence industrial production at home, assistance to Ukraine’s ongoing progress on governmental innovation and reforms as well as diplomatic advocacy ranging from sanctions on Russia to Ukraine’s EU membership prospects, among others.  

Underscoring the importance of these efforts, Yehor Cherniev, UNIC Rapporteur and Head of the Ukrainian Delegation to the NATO PA, stated, “"NATO must become a reliable guarantor of the security and defence capability of Ukraine, otherwise the security of Europe will always be under threat of new aggression from Russia. In particular, this applies to the coordination of aid to Ukraine, in the event of a change in the Ramstein format.”  

The Assembly also continues to embrace its role in supporting Ukraine’s further democratic consolidation and reform agenda. Cherniev, in his role as UNIC Rapporteur, updated the Council regarding significant progress on Ukrainian legislative and government reforms aimed at bringing Ukraine closer to NATO, based upon a report presented at the 2025 Annual Session. 

Over the course of the UNIC meeting, participants repeatedly echoed Cherniev on the defining place of democracy both for NATO and Ukraine in the face of the challenges they confront. Ukraine’s path to NATO is not just a military undertaking; it is also about building democratic institutions.  

“Our democratic nations must demonstrate that democracies are stronger – not just because we have the higher moral ground, but also because we have the ability to deter and defend, and to help our friends push back against the authoritarian onslaught,” observed NATO PA President Perestrello (Portugal). “Ukraine is at the forefront of this renewed confrontation between the democratic and autocratic worlds, and the outcome of this war will define the world we and our children will live in. This is the fight of our generation.” 

The NATO PA’s long-standing, top recommendation to the Alliance remains the establishment of a Centre for Democratic Resilience at NATO Headquarters to serve as a clearing house of best practices for Allies and partners – first among them Ukraine –  in addressing threats to democracies.  

The Assembly is institutionally separate from NATO but serves as an essential link between NATO and the parliaments of the NATO nations. It provides greater transparency of NATO policies and fosters better understanding of the Alliance’s objectives and missions among legislators and citizens of the Alliance. UNIC was created in 1998 to bring greater transparency to the implementation of the NATO Ukraine Charter and to demonstrate parliamentary interest and involvement in cooperation between NATO and Ukraine. It has since become a wider forum where members can discuss any issues of mutual concern. UNIC has played a leading role in the Assembly’s response to Russia’s renewed invasion.  

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