NATO and Ukrainian defense officials stand together near the Saint Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv, Ukraine, in October 2026. The recent NATO delegation to Ukraine marked the first such visit since 2018, before the ongoing war began in 2022. (NATO)
NATO Representatives Visit Kyiv for First Time During War
In their consultations with Ukrainian military leaders, NATO officials discussed Ukraine’s battlefield needs—and the ways they could protect their own nations from Russian “hybrid war” operations.
For the first time in eight years, military representatives from every NATO nation visited the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv earlier this week. The delegation was led by the Chair of the NATO Military Committee (CMC), Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone. The number of representatives was also larger, as NATO has expanded by two members since the last visit—with historically neutral Finland and Sweden joining the alliance following Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
“We are here in full strength, sending a clear message: the bond between NATO and Ukraine is strong and unbreakable,” said Admiral Dragone after the Military Committee meeting with the Ukrainian Defense Staff. “Despite Russia’s unprovoked aggression against Ukraine and its reckless hybrid activities in NATO countries, we stand with Ukraine in the heroic defence of its sovereignty, its territorial integrity and the future of its people.”
During the visit to Kyiv, all 32 representatives visited the Wall of Remembrance of the Fallen for Ukraine, with Dragone sharing photos in a post on X.
NATO Is Trying to Show Strength on Ukraine
The delegation’s return to Ukraine after eight years was more than a goodwill gesture or a simple photo op. It allowed the representatives to discuss Kyiv’s military priorities after more than four and a half years of war—focusing on the new types of warfare being waged in what has become the longest full-scale interstate conflict in Europe since World War II.
In January, the Ukraine War exceeded the duration of the 1941–45 war between the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany. This June, it even surpassed the entire length of World War I, even as it has increasingly come to resemble it; it now stands as Europe’s longest continuous interstate campaign in centuries, with its active front lines remaining largely static near their positions in late 2022.
The NATO delegation met with its counterparts within the Ukrainian military, including the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Mykhailo Drapatyi, in the format of the NATO-Ukraine Council (NUC). The joint consultative and decision-making body was launched in July 2023 at the NATO Vilnius Summit, replacing the older NATO-Ukraine Commission, which had been in place since 1997.
The NATO officials discussed Ukraine’s current military priorities, which analysts have suggested include air defense systems, missile and drone interceptors, ground troops, and long-range strike capabilities. There also remains a high demand for scalable unmanned platforms, AI-powered decision support, and cheaper missile/drone systems to offset numerical disadvantages.
During the visit to the Ukrainian capital, the NATO committee was able to visit several military sites and saw Ukraine’s air defense, drone warfare, and unmanned ground systems. The representatives were able “to witness first-hand the practical implementation of advanced technical skills and knowledge by the Ukrainian defence personnel,” according to a NATO media statement.
Russia’s “Hybrid War” Strategy Is Targeting NATO Countries
The delegation also addressed Russia’s ongoing hybrid war strategy, which has been described as a coordinated gray-zone campaign that combines military, cyber, informational, and covert subversion tools just below the threshold of open armed conflict—which would evoke Article 5’s an attack on one is an attack on all—to destabilize Western democracies, paralyze decision-making, and break support for Ukraine.
However, the presence of representatives from all 32 nations highlighted that these efforts have not been successful.
“Those who think that by perpetrating an act of sabotage, cyberattack, and violation of the airspace in national NATO territory, they will undermine our support [to Ukraine] and our resolve. I will respond. You are failing,” Dragone said in remarks.
This week, Russian leader Vladimir Putin reiterated that full Russian control over Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region was a nonnegotiable condition for ending the conflict. The Kremlin has maintained that the war will end only if Ukrainian troops withdraw from the remaining parts of the Donbas, comprising Donetsk and Luhansk regions. These regions have been the epicenter of the conflict since 2022, and the source of the heaviest fighting; however, despite a massive numerical advantage and a larger defense industrial base, Russian troops have been unable to seize the Donbas in its entirety. Russian forces currently control all of Luhansk and some 80 to 85 percent of Donetsk, with the remainder under Ukrainian control, including heavily fortified cities like Sloviansk and Kramatorsk.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other officials have firmly rejected demands to cede uncaptured territory or surrender the remaining defensive lines in the Donbas. Kyiv has called for a ceasefire along the current front lines, rather than rewarding Russia with territory it has failed to conquer. Ukraine has also successfully managed to “claw back” some land in the Donbas in recent months, and officials in Kyiv may believe that the continuation of the war along these lines will help its position at the negotiating table. An enduring ceasefire and peace agreement seems as elusive as ever.
About the Author: Peter Suciu
Peter Suciu has contributed to dozens of newspapers, magazines, and websites over a 30-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a contributing writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author at Editor@nationalinterest.org.
The post NATO Representatives Visit Kyiv for First Time During War appeared first on The National Interest.