Nataliyya Butyrska, Associate Senior Fellow at the New Europe Center, took part in a panel discussion “The US–EU–Ukraine Triangle: Challenges and the Future of Security Cooperation”, organised by Transatlantic Dialogue Center. The event took place on 29 April 2026 and focused on transatlantic security challenges and practical avenues for cooperation between the EU, Ukraine, and the United States.
In her remarks, Nataliya Butyrska drew attention to the West’s insufficient recognition of the threat posed by North Korea’s participation in the war on Russia’s side. In her view, the five-year military cooperation plan concluded between Russia and North Korea represents a serious challenge not only for Ukraine but for global security as a whole.
The analyst also addressed the difficulties many countries face in moving beyond established frameworks and beginning to think in terms of real threats. South Korea, in particular, despite growing challenges from North Korea, continues to adhere to a reconciliation policy and is not prepared to take more decisive steps in support of Ukraine.
“Ukraine must independently engage with Asian democracies to keep them within a shared sanctions framework. However, given their dependence on the United States, it is important to find opportunities for engagement through European countries. In light of the shifting US foreign policy and doubts about Washington’s commitment to its alliance obligations, it is the Europeans — as the bastion of democracies — who can become not only a security guarantee for Ukraine but also a platform for democratic cooperation that our Asian partners may find compelling.”
In the short term, the analyst emphasised, Ukraine must focus on maintaining sustained support from Asian partners — Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and South Korea.
On the question of China, Nataliya Butyrska noted that there are currently no direct mechanisms to influence Beijing’s support for Russia. At the same time, China’s interest in preserving its relations with the EU offers an opportunity — through partners — to deter it from providing Russia with direct military assistance. Sanctions pressure, including under the 20th sanctions package, should at the very least create discomfort for China regarding such support.
Concluding her remarks, the analyst highlighted Europe’s potential to serve as a pole of attraction — both for Asian democracies and for countries of the Global South. In her view, Europe must become a genuine actor in international relations, one that commands the respect of the United States, China, and Russia, and toward which other democratic nations gravitate.
