Ukraine has no security guarantees right now — strategic communications expert

Yuriy Bohdanov, strategic communications consultant, expressed this opinion on the Ukrainian Focus. Morning project on Slawa.TV and Espreso TV.

"I believe there are currently no security guarantees for Ukraine. Everything concerning Ukrainian security equally concerns European security. Putin's regime in its current format, and Russia as it exists now, simultaneously poses a threat to Ukraine, Poland, the Baltic countries, and the Scandinavian countries—essentially to all its immediate neighbors. Therefore, considering the rather strange position of the United States, we must also understand that despite the pressure on Russia that will intensify, they are simultaneously threatening, for example, Denmark's sovereignty—a NATO country that is also our great partner and has provided the highest percentage of GDP in aid to Ukraine in previous years," he said.

Yuriy Bohdanov believes Ukraine needs to take a broader view of security guarantees.

"I'm hearing this from the Baltic countries, from the Scandinavian countries, and increasingly from key European countries like France and Germany: that Ukraine is an integral part of European security, and Europe—the European Union, Great Britain, and Norway, which aren't in the EU but are in NATO—is a component of Ukrainian security. So I think we need to think in these terms. Regarding the presence of Poles in Ukraine and their military in Ukraine, I think they're strategically interested in this themselves, because nowhere else do they gain as much experience as they do here. This could be structured, for example, as Ukrainian military personnel being present in Poland to train Polish military personnel. So I think this should be a mutual process. I understand why politically in Poland this story doesn't enjoy support, but ultimately they'll have to either agree that their military gains Ukrainian experience here and becomes part of security guarantees, or Ukrainian military personnel will work in Poland to train the Poles, and we'll form a certain regional security framework—a European one, without the American component," he noted.

Despite recent statements that Putin is irritating at least Trump's entourage, the Americans are still reducing their presence in Europe.

"We had this sense of betrayal that Americans don't want to sign onto physical security guarantees, but that's because, in principle, they don't want to be present on the European continent. This isn't about Ukraine; it's about the fact that they really wanted Europe to provide its own security on one hand, while still buying American weapons on the other. Americans will eventually have to decide what they choose—either being present in Europe and thus selling their weapons, or they'll truly leave Europe, and then Europe will form its own security framework, with Ukraine being an integral part of it, because in reality, Europe doesn't have such a large, experienced army engaged in modern warfare," added Yuriy Bohdanov.