“The GLOBSEC forum was recently held in Prague. This event is one of the key European platforms for discussing important security issues, in particular, with a focus on the countries of Central Europe. The “home” venue of the forum was usually Bratislava (Slovakia), but this year, due to the political situation in the country and the pro-Russian views of Fico’s government, the forum was held in the Czech Republic.”, — write: www.pravda.com.ua
The GLOBSEC forum was recently held in Prague. This event is one of the key European platforms for discussing important security issues, in particular, with a focus on the countries of Central Europe. The “home” venue of the forum was usually Bratislava (Slovakia), but this year, due to the political situation in the country and the pro-Russian views of Fico’s government, the forum was held in the Czech Republic.
The forum brings together key politicians, business representatives, think tanks, non-governmental organizations, international organizations and academia. Among the guests, you can meet heads of state and opinion leaders. This year, the President of the Czech Republic, Petr Pavel, and the re-elected President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, became such.
This is the third GLOBSEC forum during the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. The common theme was “taming the storm”. The topic of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and its consequences for Europe was and remains a key topic in the discussions: continued support for Ukraine, countering Russia’s hybrid challenges, strengthening the stability of Europe itself, the role of Central Europe and the future expansion of the EU.
The discussions also had a much broader global context, including the challenges associated with the elections taking place in many countries around the world this year, in particular the US elections and their possible implications for transatlantic cooperation, the escalation in the Middle East and the situation in Indo- Pacific region. Considerable attention was also paid to the issues of new technologies, cyber security, as well as artificial intelligence, in particular, in the context of the experience of their use during the war.
The International Center for Ukrainian Victory used this platform to advocate for the interests of Ukraine. In particular, we held meetings with a number of high-ranking officials from such partner countries as Germany, France, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Great Britain, Norway, Sweden, Finland and others.
The key topics were the continuation of support for Ukraine, the lifting of any restrictions on the use of Western weapons, energy security and the strengthening of sanctions. The actions of the Ukrainian armed forces in the Kursk region provided a powerful argument for Ukrainian advocacy: Ukraine can win, it can seize the strategic initiative. Moreover, the Kursk operation clearly demonstrated that there are no “red lines” for the Kremlin, and the occupation of the territories of other sovereign states is much more important for Russia than the security of its own borders and territories.
We also held a separate event on the sidelines of the forum, on the topic “Coalition of the determined – why is justice the only way to sustainable peace?”. They discussed how to attract those who want to support the victory of Ukraine to the coalition of the determined, as well as how to ensure long-term and stable financing of Ukraine’s self-defense. For example, by fully confiscating the assets of the Russian Central Bank for 300 billion dollars and the war tax from the purchase of Russian liquefied gas.
The task of the EUEuropean partners agree that they need to do more in the field of security and defense, in particular by developing their defense industries. In this context, the appointment of the relevant commissioner in the new composition of the European Commission will be important. Ursula von der Leyen spoke about this in her keynote speech.
“We Europeans must have the means to defend ourselves and deter any possible adversaries… We must refocus our attention on the security aspect of everything we do. We must think of our Union as a security project.”Ursula von der Leyen emphasized in her keynote speech.
She drew attention to the fact that even being aware of current security threats, restructuring the European defense industry will require time and significant investment. “Our aim must be to build a continental defense capability…We must have in mind a systemic overhaul of European defence. That is why I am appointing a full-fledged Commissioner for Defense in the next Commission. This is Europe’s strategic responsibility,” – she emphasized.
Regarding the war and support for UkraineMuch attention during the forum was devoted to Ukraine. Yes, partners need to move from the belief that “Ukraine must not lose” to “Ukraine must win.” A number of foreign politicians also emphasized that Ukraine should be allowed to use the weapons provided to it by the West to strike military targets on the territory of Russia.
In particular, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen drew attention to the fact that talking about “red lines” during the war is a big mistake, stressing that “what Ukraine needs to win this war must be provided. We must ensure that Ukraine can win this war. And we need to stop talking about limiting the weapons that Ukraine uses“.
Czech President Petr Pavel once again emphasized that aid to Ukraine is in the interests of those who help. He is convinced that “time can work in favor of Ukraine and in our favor, but only if we pull together and learn the right lessons from the last 2.5 years“.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic Jan Lipavsky is convinced that “Russian imperial ambitions know no bounds unless we set themIn his speech, he quoted Vaclav Havel as saying that Russia’s problem is that it doesn’t know where it begins or where it ends, and he also emphasized that Putin’s ultimate goal is to revise Europe’s security architecture to make its favorable for the interests of Russia.
“It is naive to think that if Russia wins in Ukraine, its tanks will stop near it [України] western borders“, Lipavskyi said, stressing that a Russian victory would pose a fundamental danger to Europe, and this is a key argument for those considering Russia’s appeasement.
The future of RussiaIt is impossible not to note the interest of the Western audience in discussing the future of Russia. In particular, with those whom they perceive as liberal representatives of the Russian opposition. A separate session was devoted to communication with journalist and oppositionist Vladimir Kara-Murza, who was recently released as part of an exchange for Russian FSB agents. It was his first appearance in front of a large audience since his release, in which he spoke in detail about his experience in prison in Russia. He also talked about the dictatorship in Russia, trying to convince that ordinary Russians do not know what is happening in Ukraine, because they do not have independent mass media and freedom of information. The audience gave him a standing ovation after his story.
I would like not only Russian liberals, but also Ukrainians to tell their stories on such platforms and who survived the horrors of the Russian occupation, prisons, cellars, torture and humiliation, as well as the families of those who are still in captivity in the occupied territories and in the depths of Russia. They could also tell about ordinary Russians who daily carry out and “over-carry” the orders of the Russian leadership to exterminate Ukrainians.
Iryna Krasnoshtan, program director of the International Center for Ukrainian Victory (ICUV).