From Soviet Past to European Future: Ukraine’s Geopolitical Self-Determination
Submit a question
On December 1, 1991, the Ukrainian people elected their first president and cast a vote of overwhelming support of the declaration of independence passed by its parliament on August 24 that year. Over the ensuing three decades, Ukraine charted its course in a challenging geopolitical environment, wedged between an expanded NATO and an increasingly revanchist Russia. Ukraine’s early commitment to neutrality soon gave way to a firm commitment to Euro-Atlantic integration, a choice which Ukraine is defending today with arms against Russian aggression.
The online event brought prominent speakers to discuss the evolution of Ukraine’s European choice since the country’s independence and the challenges and opportunities in its unwavering course toward integration into the European project.
This event is part of the Wilson Center's Ukraine in Europe initiative.
Event Sponsors
Speakers
Introduction
Moderator
Senior Research Associate, Project on Managing the Atom at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center
Hosted By
Global Europe Program
The Global Europe Program is focused on Europe’s capabilities, and how it engages on critical global issues. We investigate European approaches to critical global issues. We examine Europe’s relations with Russia and Eurasia, China and the Indo-Pacific, the Middle East and Africa. Our initiatives include “Ukraine in Europe”—an examination of what it will take to make Ukraine’s European future a reality. But we also examine the role of NATO, the European Union and the OSCE, Europe’s energy security, transatlantic trade disputes, and challenges to democracy. The Global Europe Program’s staff, scholars-in-residence, and Global Fellows participate in seminars, policy study groups, and international conferences to provide analytical recommendations to policy makers and the media. Read more
Kennan Institute
The Kennan Institute is the premier US center for advanced research on Eurasia and the oldest and largest regional program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. The Kennan Institute is committed to improving American understanding of Russia, Ukraine, Central Asia, the South Caucasus, and the surrounding region though research and exchange. Read more