PROTECTING US INTERESTS: HOW TO DEFEAT PUTIN AND SET UKRAINE ON THE PATH TO NATO - Next year’s NATO Summit in Washington, DC, will mark the 75th anniversary of the Alliance. At a time when the world faces the challenge of the increasing alignment between the world’s chief authoritarian powers—Russia and China—the summit provides the opportunity for the US and its NATO allies to confront that challenge by taking steps to defeat Putin in Ukraine, set Ukraine on the path to NATO membership, and deter future aggression from revanchist powers.

Russia’s full-scale invasion spurred the United States and its NATO allies to adopt vigorous measures in support of Ukraine and to safeguard themselves against the Kremlin’s expansionist aims. At the NATO Summit in Vilnius in July 2023, the Allies took modest steps toward Ukraine’s NATO membership, settling on a promise to invite it to the Alliance “when Allies agree and conditions are met.”

In advance of the next NATO Summit in Washington in 2024, a new Atlantic Council “Memo to the President,” co-signed by more than 40 national security leaders, presents an array of measures that NATO can implement to help Ukraine win its war against Russian aggression, to guarantee Ukraine’s long-term stability, and to fortify Europe against further Kremlin aggression that directly jeopardizes the interests of the United States and its allies.

What measures can NATO partners take to help Ukraine win the war? What strategic actions can NATO take to bolster its defenses against Moscow’s revisionist goals? How can the US and its Allies anchor Ukraine firmly in Transatlantic institutions, including NATO membership? What can be done in Washington and other NATO capitals to pave a path for Kyiv ahead of the NATO Summit in 2024?

ORIGINAL AIRDATE: 10/10/23