Nordic summit tightens support for Ukraine and regional resilience

By AI, Created 4:20 PM UTC, May 18, 2026, /AGP/ – Civil society leaders and policymakers met at the Danish Parliament on May 11 for the fourth Nordic Ukraine Advocacy Summit, framing Ukraine support as part of broader Nordic security and democratic resilience. The summit focused on justice for war crimes, hybrid threats and a deeper Nordic-Ukraine civic partnership.

Why it matters: - The Copenhagen summit tied Ukraine support to Nordic security, arguing that resilience in one region strengthens the other. - Civil society groups were positioned as a practical force for documenting abuses, countering disinformation and building long-term democratic capacity. - The discussion centered on both immediate wartime support and a wider model for regional preparedness.

What happened: - The fourth Nordic Ukraine Advocacy Summit took place on 11 May 2026 at the Danish Parliament in Copenhagen. - The event ran under the theme “A Durable Peace Through Democratic Resilience: The Nordic–Ukraine Partnership at Scale.” - The summit brought together civil society and policymakers for strategic talks on Ukraine support, Nordic security and regional resilience.

The details: - The first panel, “Ensuring a Just Peace,” focused on Russia’s war crimes in temporarily occupied territories and the international response. - Thórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörd Gylfadóttir, the Council of Europe’s Special Envoy on Ukrainian children, said there are about 25,000 documented cases of child deportation from Ukraine and nearly 1.5 million children remain in occupied territories. - Gylfadóttir said NGOs are essential for documenting abductions, advocating for children and drawing attention to the crimes. - Olha Skrypnyk, head of the board of the Crimean Human Rights Group, said more than 3.5 million Ukrainians remain under occupation and civil society documentation of human rights violations is critical. - Rasmus Grue Christensen, CEO of DIGNITY and chair of the Danish Human Rights Council, said there is a gap between documenting crimes and delivering consequences for perpetrators. - Christensen said Ukrainian society carries that burden alone and that justice is crucial for peace. - The second panel, “Nordic Response to Hybrid Threats,” examined anti-democratic pressure, disinformation and cognitive warfare. - Magnus Hjort, director general of the Swedish Psychological Defence Agency, called for stronger strategic responses and said governments need balanced communication with the public. - Hjort said the goal should be to raise the costs and risks for threat actors and move from threat assessment to threat deterrence. - Jeanette Serritzlev, a military analyst at the Royal Danish Defence College, said all actions have a cognitive effect and attacks are aimed at weakening social cohesion. - Serritzlev said information threats are transnational, even when people believe they are resilient to them. - Mikko Salo, founder of Faktabaari, said threat actors coordinate on digital platforms and that generative AI has had a massive effect. - Salo urged a “stop-think-check” approach, education for young people and sustained community engagement. - Volodymyr Dehtyarov, public affairs officer with the 2nd Corps “Khartiia” of Ukraine’s National Guard, said Russia seeks to divide civilians, government and the military. - Dehtyarov said Ukraine’s answer is stronger societal cohesion, critical thinking and fact-checking for both military personnel and civilians. - The third panel, “Nordic-Ukraine Civic Axis,” focused on integrating Nordic civil society organizations into support systems for Ukraine and Nordic resilience. - Jorun Sigrid Nossum of the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation said short-term solutions must be delivered with a long-term perspective and at high speed. - Nossum said Ukraine’s pushback against a traditional donor-recipient model is reshaping the relationship into a strategic partnership. - Kristina Háfoss, secretary general of the Nordic Council, said the Nordics are learning from Ukraine’s experience, especially the performance of Ukrainian civil society in wartime. - Tymofiy Brik, rector of Kyiv School of Economics, said Ukrainian society has moved from relying on individual skills to strengthening institutions and now needs a stronger shared culture of democratic values. - Brik said the Nordics are a major source of inspiration for building lasting trust. - Orest Bilous, CEO of the Boryviter Centre of Excellence, said civic society has been highly efficient in wartime because it faces less bureaucracy. - Bilous pointed to the Nordic concept of total defense as a model that links the military, civilians, government and business. - Christian Friis Bach, a former Danish lawmaker and former executive secretary of UNECE, said civil society organizations are crucial for cohesion and local accountability. - Friis Bach said localization is key to humanitarian support. - Lolita Čigāne, senior adviser on EU integration at the EU Advisory Mission Ukraine, said Ukraine offers a lesson in standing strong and defining itself. - Čigāne said Ukrainian civil society is professional, organized and cooperative, and described the Nordics and Baltics as close friends who understand the challenge. - Alina Zubkovych, head of the Nordic Ukraine Forum and the summit’s founder, said the network of friends had become a coordinated system of partners. - Zubkovych said the Nordic-Ukraine civic axis is now a strategic reality that protects peace in both regions. - The summit was organized by Nordic Ukraine Forum, Ukrainian Dialogues, Association of Ukrainians in Denmark, Ukrainian Association in Norway and Association of Ukrainians in Finland. - The event was supported by the Nordic Council of Ministers, Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung e.V. and Knud Højgaards Fond.

Between the lines: - The summit reflected a shift from symbolic solidarity to operational coordination across advocacy, humanitarian response and resilience-building. - The repeated focus on civil society suggests Nordic actors see nonstate networks as essential to Ukraine support, not just governments and militaries. - The emphasis on hybrid threats and generative AI shows the agenda is broadening beyond battlefield aid to information security and social cohesion.

What’s next: - The summit’s organizers and participants appear to be building a more formal Nordic-Ukraine civic network for future coordination. - The resilience agenda is likely to keep linking Ukraine support with Nordic defense, democratic preparedness and public communication. - The partnership may continue to evolve toward shared practices in accountability, localization and total defense.