Ukraine expects decisive steps for the security of the alliance and Ukraine from the NATO summit to be held June 28-30 in Madrid, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Olha Stefanishyna has said.

"Someone is afraid of the defeat of Russia or simply does not believe that it is possible. But I ask you for a moment to imagine the world with the defeat of Ukraine. We Ukrainians know very well what a Russian victory will look like, because we know what Russian occupation looks like today. Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians live in fear and terror. With the victory of Russia, there will be no hope for a safe and free life on the European continent, the rules will be determined by force, not international law," the deputy prime minister's press service reported after her participation at a meeting of the Standing Committee of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly's 2023 Spring Session in Vilnius.

According to Stefanishyna, sanctions, weapons and support for the Ukrainian economy are the key to Ukraine's victory in this war, and a clear prospect of Ukraine's EU membership is a necessary step to increase the country's resilience and further recovery.

"The policy of ambiguity, which surpassed in the countries of the Euro-Atlantic space, sent a signal to the dictatorship that the international order can be changed in its favor by war, and also paid for with European money. Thousands of Ukrainians became victims of such a policy. It is necessary to immediately break the chain of energy dependence on Russia and provide Ukraine with all types of weapons, which will make it possible to move from defense to counteroffensive," the deputy prime minister said.

She called on the parliamentarians of NATO member countries to increase pressure on their governments to get Ukraine the necessary support and further isolate Russia. Among the necessary steps, in particular, she named: a trade embargo on the import of Russian energy; closing all opportunities to circumvent sanctions; sending frozen financial funds for compensation to Ukraine; refusal to make payments in Russian rubles; disconnection of all Russian banks from SWIFT; expansion of individual sanctions and restrictions; banning the broadcast of all Russian propaganda channels.

"Today, when the membership of Finland and Sweden is being considered, it is important to remember that Ukraine applied for NATO membership back in 2008. We have not withdrawn it and it remains in force," Stefanishyna said.