First meeting of Strategic Advisory Group under Architecture of Security Forum held in Kyiv

The first meeting of the Strategic Advisory Group under the Architecture of Security Forum – an international expert platform designed to develop practical solutions to strengthen Ukraine’s defense capability, energy resilience and recovery – was held in Kyiv on April 24, the Forum’s press service has said.

Among the international participants in the meeting of the Strategic Advisory Group were former CIA Director David Petraeus, former U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations Kurt Volker, former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey Pyatt, Freedom House President David Kramer, former head of Konrad Adenauer Foundation office in Ukraine and senior fellow at the Munich Security Conference Nico Lange, Senior Representative of the UK Ministry of Defence Chris Ordway, and others.

On the Ukrainian side, representatives of public administration, the security sector, the economy, energy, local self-government and the expert community were invited to take part, including Head of the President’s Office of Ukraine Kyrylo Budanov, his deputy Pavlo Palisa, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal, Governor of the National Bank of Ukraine Andriy Pyshny, former Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin, representative for strategic communications of the Main Intelligence Agency of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine Andriy Yusov, DTEK CEO Maksym Timchenko, Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov, and others.

"Events of this format create space for exchanging practical experience… Our experience in defense, energy resilience, the functioning of institutions, protection of critical infrastructure and preservation of state governability in wartime conditions must not merely be heard – it must be taken into account and implemented in new approaches to international and European security. I see the value of our joint work with partners in this," Budanov said.

The focus of the first meeting was on defense capability, energy resilience and the country’s recovery.

"Attracting foreign investors to Ukraine’s energy sector is not only about recovery, but also about creating a stronger and more protected system for the future. Decentralized energy assets, less vulnerable to attacks, are the cornerstone of this new architecture," Timchenko said.

A separate emphasis during the meeting was placed on the fact that Ukraine’s wartime experience should become part of Europe’s future security architecture.

Volker said Ukraine is not and will not be merely a consumer of security and assistance; it will be a provider. He added they are talking not only about shared assessments – they are formulating concrete ideas on what needs to be done.

According to Budanov, the expected result of the group’s work is concrete priorities, working mechanisms and proposals that can be brought to the political level and presented at the Architecture of Security Forum.

The Architecture of Security Forum is scheduled for June 1, 2026, in Kyiv. The event was initiated by the Institute of National Resilience and Security with the support of the President’s Office of Ukraine, the Main Intelligence Agency of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.