Alyona Getmanchuk, founder and director of the New Europe Center, has many years of experience in foreign policy and security analysis. Euro-Atlantic integration has been more than just an area of research interest for her – it has been her professional mission. Hundreds, if not thousands, of her comments, articles, expert studies, and advocacy initiatives have been devoted to this topic.

Working to bring Ukraine closer to NATO and to secure Ukraine’s accession to the Alliance has long been Alyona Getmanchuk’s professional mission. She advocated for Ukraine’s NATO membership long before it became official state policy.

Alyona Getmanchuk is known for her willingness to go against the mainstream — when everyone says “it’s impossible,” she finds a way. Some of her Euro-Atlantic initiatives include:

• “Diary of a Euro-Atlanticist”. Under this title, she wrote a blog featuring regular commentary on foreign policy and security issues. In particular, she used these posts to cope fears and myths in Ukrainian society surrounding relations with NATO. Especially at a time when public support for NATO membership was below 30%.
• Euro-Atlantic Collection. Alyona Getmanchuk proposed bold and creative ideas that still feel ahead of their time. For example, a Euro-Atlantic clothing collection in 2010. The collection debuted in Ukrainian Fashion Week in Kyiv (thanks to the Ukrainian designer Olena Dats) and was later showcased at NATO headquarters.
• Invitation to NATO. Together with partners, Alyona began advocating for an invitation for Ukraine to join NATO even before Russia’s full-scale aggression. We warned that the risks of not inviting Ukraine to NATO were significantly higher.
• Coalition of the Resolute. Before the phrase “the coalition of the willing” entered public discourse, Alyona Getmanchuk proposed the concept of a “coalition of the resolute” – a group of countries prepared to make bold decisions in support of Ukraine.

The New Europe Center team sincerely congratulates Alyona Getmanchuk on her well-deserved appointment. We look forward to supporting the important work of the Mission of Ukraine to NATO – work that will help make the dream of the vast majority of Ukrainians a reality: the country’s membership in the Alliance.