The world order depends on Ukraine: theses of the Copenhagen Democracy Summit 2023

Former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen called for giving Ukraine everything it needs to accelerate victory and achieve lasting peace and security, opening the Copenhagen Democracy Summit 2023 and presenting a 7-point plan to help Ukraine win the war and build a sustainable peace.

This was reported by the organizers of the summit

“The world order is at stake in Ukraine. We must ensure a Ukrainian victory to ensure a world governed by the rule of law, not the rule of the ruthless,” Rasmussen is quoted.

According to Rasmussen, Western partners should provide sustained and long-term support to Ukraine, as well as security guarantees until Ukraine joins NATO.

"Now, Ukraine’s international partners need to come together to take a strategic decision that they will provide Ukraine with all the necessary military support to enable it to retake territory lost to Russia. At the same time, the military support should be codified into open-ended, binding commitments to assure Ukraine’s capacity to defend itself, including in peace time," the plan says.

The former NATO secretary general also noted the importance of prioritizing Ukraine's membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the EU for the West. After all, the war, in his opinion, has demonstrated that the threat from Russia will remain as long as Ukraine is outside these structures. Instead, Ukraine's accession to the alliance will develop Ukraine's military potential and strengthen NATO, while joining the European Union will accelerate reforms inside the country and strengthen democratic foundations.

"No ifs, no buts: Ukraine must join NATO and the European Union," Rasmussen wrote on Twitter.

During his speech at the summit, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg emphasized that the "most urgent task" is to ensure that Ukraine wins against Russia's war.

"The most urgent task now is to ensure that Ukraine prevails — that (Russian) President Putin does not win this war," CNN quoted Stoltenberg.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi, on the other hand, appealed to NATO and called for a positive decision on Ukraine's membership in the Alliance at the upcoming summit to be held this July.

"It is time to remove the biggest security uncertainty in Europe — that is, to approve a positive political decision on (Ukrainian) membership in NATO"

Volodymyr Zelenskyi said in his speech.