On October 9, 2026, the New Europe Center together with Ifri – French Institute of International Relations held the V Ukraine-France Forum in Paris.
During the three thematic panels, participants discussed such topics:
- Towards a Diplomatic Settlement? Actors, Formats and Conditions for a Lasting Peace
- Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic Integration: EU Accession and Relations with NATO
- Post-War Ukraine: Societal and Elite Transformations and Recovery Prospects
The auditory was addressed by Vsevolod Chentsov, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, and Benjamin Haddad, Minister Delegate for Europe, French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs.
Among the speakers of the event were:
- Rostyslav Ogryzko, Deputy State Secretary, Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine;
- Arnaud Guillois, Director for Continental Europe, Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs of France;
- Vincent Guérend, Director for the European Union at the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs;
- Alyona Getmanchuk, Head of the Mission of Ukraine to NATO;
- Vadym Halaychuk, First Deputy Chairperson of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Ukraine’s Integration into the European Union;
- Vadym Omelchenko, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to France;
- Hugues Mingarelli, Honorary Deputy General Director at European Commission.
Key ideas of the Forum speakers:
Vsevolod Chentsov, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, spoke about Ukraine’s progress on its path to EU membership. He also highlighted the importance of communication efforts: “We are trying to explain to the public — both in Ukraine and in EU Member States — what Ukraine’s European integration means. For Ukrainian citizens, it means reforms. What exactly do these reforms bring to people, communities, and cities? But we also need to explain this to the EU, because Ukraine and its European integration represent opportunities for the European Union rather than challenges”.
Benjamin Haddad, Minister Delegate for Europe, French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, stressed that supporting Ukraine is not only an act of solidarity but also an investment in Europe’s own security: “By supporting Ukraine, we are protecting our own security interests. Today, in the face of the threat posed by Russia. Tomorrow, to build a new European security architecture.
The Ukrainian army, its combat experience, its innovation, and its resilience will strengthen Europe’s military capabilities in the future. Our task is to ensure that it never stands alone.”
Alyona Getmanchuk, Head of Mission of Ukraine to NATO, stressed that NATO membership remains the most effective way to provide Ukraine with security guarantees: “We continue to see NATO membership as the most effective way to ensure security guarantees. It is unclear what the Alliance will look like in a few years. But we understand that the original is always better than a copy. And Article 5 is the original. Other ideas and proposals are, essentially, attempts to create a copy of the original”.
Leo Litra, Senior Research Fellow, New Europe Center, Ukraine, noted in his address to the Forum participants that relations between Ukraine and France had grown stronger over the past five years: “In nearly five years of full-scale war, relations between Kyiv and Paris have never been stronger than they are today. Many people asked not ‘whether France would support Ukraine,’ but ‘for how long.’ We got our answer not through declarations, but through decisions: Caesar howitzers, air defence systems, the training of Ukrainian brigades, Mirage aircraft, and France’s consistent voice in every forum where Ukraine’s future is discussed”.
Tatiana Kastouéva-Jean, Director of the Russia/Eurasia Center at Ifri, highlighted at the opening of the Forum how perceptions of Ukraine have changed in France and across the broader European context: “Over these five years, the way Ukraine sees itself has changed. And so has the way we perceive Ukraine. We now see it not only as a country that needs Western assistance and protection, but also as an actor destined to become one of the pillars of Europe’s security architecture. Its army is now a real counterweight to Russia’s military might on the continent”.
Soon we will publish key ideas of panelists` speeches of the V Ukraine-France Forum.
The Forum is organized with the support of the French Ministry of European and Foreign Affairs. For this event, the New Europe Center is supported by the International Renaissance Foundation.
