On the Road to NATO Washington Summit
CEO Club London recently co-hosted a pivotal conference, "On the Road to NATO Washington Summit", which was a standout event of the first half-year of 2024. The conference's theme, particularly pertinent as we approach the NATO Washington Summit in July 2024, was discussed at the prestigious British Academy in collaboration with the Ukrainian Student Union, Centre for Defence Strategies, CEO Club Ukraine, Centre for Geopolitics, and The International Renaissance Foundation (IRF).
The conference itself was structured in two distinct parts: a closed-door expert session and an open discussion session. Each segment brought together experts, policymakers, and thought leaders to discuss and strategize on some of the most pressing issues that Ukraine and NATO face today.
The day started with welcoming remarks done by Boris Johnson, Former PM of the UK (online); Hetan Shah, CEO of British Academy; Eduard Fesko, Charge d'Affaires, Embassy of Ukraine to the United Kingdom and Alina Frolova, Deputy Chairperson, Centre for Defence Strategies, Deputy Minister of Defence of Ukraine (2019-2020).
The first panel discussion, called «NATO's 2024 Summit: What is at Stake?» was chaired by Victoria Vdovychenko, Program Director, Center for Defence Strategies and featured such esteemed speakers as Andriy Zagorodnyuk, Minister of Defence of Ukraine (2019-2020), Kurt Engelen, Defence Counsellor, Permanent Representation of Belgium to the EU, Dr Nigel Gould-Davies, Senior Fellow for Russia and Eurasia, International Institute for Strategic Studies, Air Marshal (ret.) Edward Stringer, Senior Fellow, Policy Exchange, former Director-General of the Defence Academy within Joint Forces Command. The discussion delved into which strategy Ukraine should opt for when fighting Russia and how it should position itself when it comes to NATO integration and cooperation with NATO.
The second panel discussion, «International Commitments for Ukraine's Long-Term Security and Defence» was chaired by Aliona Hlivco, Managing Director of the Henry Jackson Society. Among the speakers Alan Richmond OBE, Former British Army Brigadier, Commander 160th Infantry Brigade and HQ Wales (Retd); Richard Kemp CBE, Former commander of British ops in Afghanistan; Alina Frolova, Deputy Chairperson, Centre for Defence Strategies, Deputy Minister of Defence of Ukraine (2019-2020) and Brigadier General (Retd) Robbie Boyd OBE, formerly the principal advisor & Military Assistant to the Chair of the NATOs Military Committee, Fellow at OPEWI were present. The speakers mentioned that the upcoming NATO summit must exhibit a strong political will to defeat Russia. US leadership was named crucial, and there's a call for President Biden to demonstrate resolve by deploying advanced systems like ATACMS. The UK was noted to have opportunities to take on a leadership role in Europe, particularly if it positions itself as a provider rather than a seeker of support. One of the main points was about the existence of viable strategies to secure the victory of Ukraine.
The conference itself was structured in two distinct parts: a closed-door expert session and an open discussion session. Each segment brought together experts, policymakers, and thought leaders to discuss and strategize on some of the most pressing issues that Ukraine and NATO face today.
The day started with welcoming remarks done by Boris Johnson, Former PM of the UK (online); Hetan Shah, CEO of British Academy; Eduard Fesko, Charge d'Affaires, Embassy of Ukraine to the United Kingdom and Alina Frolova, Deputy Chairperson, Centre for Defence Strategies, Deputy Minister of Defence of Ukraine (2019-2020).
The first panel discussion, called «NATO's 2024 Summit: What is at Stake?» was chaired by Victoria Vdovychenko, Program Director, Center for Defence Strategies and featured such esteemed speakers as Andriy Zagorodnyuk, Minister of Defence of Ukraine (2019-2020), Kurt Engelen, Defence Counsellor, Permanent Representation of Belgium to the EU, Dr Nigel Gould-Davies, Senior Fellow for Russia and Eurasia, International Institute for Strategic Studies, Air Marshal (ret.) Edward Stringer, Senior Fellow, Policy Exchange, former Director-General of the Defence Academy within Joint Forces Command. The discussion delved into which strategy Ukraine should opt for when fighting Russia and how it should position itself when it comes to NATO integration and cooperation with NATO.
The second panel discussion, «International Commitments for Ukraine's Long-Term Security and Defence» was chaired by Aliona Hlivco, Managing Director of the Henry Jackson Society. Among the speakers Alan Richmond OBE, Former British Army Brigadier, Commander 160th Infantry Brigade and HQ Wales (Retd); Richard Kemp CBE, Former commander of British ops in Afghanistan; Alina Frolova, Deputy Chairperson, Centre for Defence Strategies, Deputy Minister of Defence of Ukraine (2019-2020) and Brigadier General (Retd) Robbie Boyd OBE, formerly the principal advisor & Military Assistant to the Chair of the NATOs Military Committee, Fellow at OPEWI were present. The speakers mentioned that the upcoming NATO summit must exhibit a strong political will to defeat Russia. US leadership was named crucial, and there's a call for President Biden to demonstrate resolve by deploying advanced systems like ATACMS. The UK was noted to have opportunities to take on a leadership role in Europe, particularly if it positions itself as a provider rather than a seeker of support. One of the main points was about the existence of viable strategies to secure the victory of Ukraine.
The next part of the conference, devoted to an open discussion, started with a panel on «Black Sea Region in the Agenda of NATO: Vision on Moving Forward?» chaired by Iuliia Osmolovska, Head of the GLOBSEC Kyiv Office. Among the speakers were Prof. Julie Smith, University of Cambridge, Baroness Smith of Newnham; Vadym Prystaiko, Ambassador of Ukraine to the UK (2020-2023); Marc De Vore, Professor, St. Andrews University, Maryna Vorotniuk, Associate Fellow RUSI; Alina Frolova, Deputy Chairperson, Centre for Defence Strategies, Deputy Minister of Defence of Ukraine (2019-2020). The discussion revolved around the military advancements of Ukraine in the Black Sea and how they can be attributed to its embrace of technology, notably drones, which have driven the Russian navy to retreat to Novorossiysk. Ukraine's strategic focus on disrupting Russian logistics to Crimea and achieving significant military results with fewer forces underscores its capability and resilience.
Lastly, the panel «Is NATO capable of countering rogue states propaganda?» was held. Chair Olga Tokariuk, OSUN Academy Fellow, Ukraine Forum, Chatham House narrated a discussion with such speakers as Paul Mason, journalist The New European / Frankfurter Rundschau, Rory Finnin, University of Cambridge, Mykola Balaban, Deputy Head of the Centre for Strategic Communications and Information Security, Ministry of Culture and Information Policy, Danylo Nikiforov, President of the Ukrainian Students Union. The panellists agreed on the fact that Russian disinformation aims to reinforce propaganda within Russia, degrade Western democracies by fostering confusion and distrust, and exert control over Western governments through their populations. Effective counter-disinformation requires real-time tracking, militant democracy principles, and regulatory actions against platforms that systematically promote disinformation.
We would like to express our gratitude to everyone who joined us, our speakers and moderators, who made such a great event possible. A special thank you to our defenders, both ladies and gents, who fight for our freedom everyday and thanks to whom we are able to discuss such important for the whole world topics.
Lastly, the panel «Is NATO capable of countering rogue states propaganda?» was held. Chair Olga Tokariuk, OSUN Academy Fellow, Ukraine Forum, Chatham House narrated a discussion with such speakers as Paul Mason, journalist The New European / Frankfurter Rundschau, Rory Finnin, University of Cambridge, Mykola Balaban, Deputy Head of the Centre for Strategic Communications and Information Security, Ministry of Culture and Information Policy, Danylo Nikiforov, President of the Ukrainian Students Union. The panellists agreed on the fact that Russian disinformation aims to reinforce propaganda within Russia, degrade Western democracies by fostering confusion and distrust, and exert control over Western governments through their populations. Effective counter-disinformation requires real-time tracking, militant democracy principles, and regulatory actions against platforms that systematically promote disinformation.
We would like to express our gratitude to everyone who joined us, our speakers and moderators, who made such a great event possible. A special thank you to our defenders, both ladies and gents, who fight for our freedom everyday and thanks to whom we are able to discuss such important for the whole world topics.
