“This is no longer a one-way movement“ — with these words, Lesia Ogryzko, Director of the Sahaidachnyi Security Center, captured a fundamental shift in Ukraine-NATO relations. Ukraine’s adaptation to Western standards has transformed into a reciprocal process, where Ukrainian experience is now shaping security policy across Europe.
This message became central at the 18th Kyiv Security Forum — the annual international platform addressing war, peace, and global security. This year’s gathering brought together leaders, military officials, and diplomats for discussions on nuclear security, transatlantic unity, modern warfare technology, and critical infrastructure resilience.
Lesia Ogryzko spoke on the panel “NATO Support for Ukraine: Finding the Balance Between Urgent and Long-term” (moderated by Tanya Hartman, Head of the Eastern Department at NATO Headquarters) together with NATO Senior Representative to Ukraine Patrick Turner and Brigadier General Jason Guiney (NSATU).
In her remarks, Lesia outlined three lessons Ukraine offers NATO:
- Scale matters again. While recent decades favored expensive precision solutions, this war has demonstrated the necessity of substantial resources and mass capability, not merely advanced technology.
- Speed of adaptation has become the critical advantage. Ukraine demonstrates what impresses Western partners: instant innovation implementation, flexible procurement systems, and constant transformation. “Those who adapt faster have better survival prospects.”
- Victory depends on more than the military. The role of society as a whole during war — energy resilience, economic endurance, and effective local governance — all become part of defense. Ukraine has demonstrated a unique model of state-society cooperation.
“Ukraine is not merely absorbing experience but developing its own model that has the right to exist. We see that some of our approaches can be valuable to our partners as well,” Lesia Ogryzko emphasized.
These points found support among other speakers, notably the Chair of the EU Military Committee, who underscored that Ukraine has transformed from an aid recipient into a security provider and source of experience for the entire transatlantic alliance.
The Kyiv Security Forum 2026 confirmed a paradigm shift, where Ukraine is setting new standards for European security policy in the coming years. The speed with which partners integrate these lessons will determine their capacity to meet today’s challenges.
