On October 1-2, 2024, NAKO’s Executive Director, Olena Tregub, attended the Warsaw Security Forum – an event supported by NATO that annually brings together 1,500 delegates from 70 countries. For the third consecutive year, the forum focused on security and the war in Ukraine.
This year, key topics included updating Europe’s security and defense priorities and strengthening its industrial capacity in response to threats from Russia. In his opening remarks, Polish President Andrzej Duda highlighted two priorities for Poland: helping Ukraine win the war and enhancing Poland’s capabilities to ensure security and stable development. The Baltic and Scandinavian countries traditionally played a prominent role at the Warsaw Forum and expressed the most significant concern about the Russian threat. They strongly advocate for helping Ukraine achieve victory and take their defense capabilities more seriously. However, according to Olena Tregub, most countries do not believe they are at immediate risk of attack.
“The question of Europe’s readiness to mobilize and defend itself remains unresolved: some argue that Europe is prepared, while others disagree. Retired U.S. General Ben Hodges noted that even if Europeans put signs at their borders stating they allocate 2% of GDP to NATO, this would not deter Russia. Moreover, only a third of NATO countries currently meet this requirement. Additionally, today, only the United States has enacted legislation requiring companies to work overtime to fulfill defense contracts. No European legislation provides for such an approach,” Tregub emphasized.
Tregub noted that the war in Ukraine was present in all discussions, although it has somewhat shifted to the background. She believes many countries are waiting for the U.S. elections, which could mark the start of a new phase in the war. A hypothetical phone call between Trump, Putin, and Zelensky or a renewed policy under Kamala Harris could precede this.
During the Warsaw Security Forum, Olena Tregub held several advocacy meetings with representatives of the U.S. Helsinki Commission, including Senior Policy Advisor Paul Massaro; officials from the U.S. State Department; General Ben Hodges; and Michael Carpenter, Senior Director for Europe at the U.S. National Security Council.
Tregub also met with representatives of the Pulaski Foundation, the organizers of the Warsaw Security Forum: Zbigniew Pisarski, Director of the Casimir Pulaski Foundation, and Katarzyna Pisarska, Chair of the Forum. They agreed to organize a seminar on Western technologies in the weapons of “Axis of Evil” countries as part of next year’s forum.
