Last Thursday, a joint event by Københavns Universitet – University of Copenhagen, the European Commission, and the Danish Foreign Policy Society Det Udenrigspolitiske Selskab gathered a stellar panel of experts in history, politics, and international relations to discuss how our world changed throughout a year of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The war has been shaping a new reality in Europe – this idea was echoed in everyone’s speeches. Prominent experts from Denmark, Estonia and Germany, all agreed that Ukraine has inspired many countries to rethink the fundamental values of freedom, dignity, and human life. As pointed out by Dr. Benjamin Tallis, the democratic societies had been doubting themselves and their systems, while Ukraine’s bravery reminded the world why democratic values are worth a struggle, because Russia showed a dark and menacing alternative. Ukrainians proved that a democratic country, regardless of its size, has the power to resist totalitarian regimes. Yet, there is no return to the post-cold war era, said Dr. Kristi Raik, and dictatorships die hard, observed Soren Liborius. Our unity is essential to secure a peaceful future, and we must seek a balance between “hard” and “soft” power to withstand the pressure from authoritarianism.
The highlights of the event were the speeches by the world-leading Ukrainian historian, the one and only Professor Serhii Plokhii and Ambassador of Ukraine to Denmark Mykhailo Vydoinyk Embassy of Ukraine to the Kingdom of Denmark. They noted how the Western societies underreacted to the previous Russian aggressions and how crucial Ukraine has always been in the Russian imperialistic worldview. In spite of all pressures, Ukrainian society showed remarkable growth over the last 8 years, moving towards European values and democracy.
Ukrainian Dialogues were proud to contribute to the discussions with the review of the Revolution of Dignity and how it changed Ukrainian society, sharing our personal experiences during and after EuroMaidan. We are grateful to Charlotte Flindt Pedersen for the masterful moderation of our talk.
We are immensely thankful to the organizers of this outstanding conference, to Professor Marlene Wind and her team for hosting it, to Dr. Yevgeniy Golovchenko for representing the Ukrainian voice in the panel, and to everyone who joined the conversations!
Professor Plokhii said, “If we know where war ends, our goal is to bring that end as soon as possible”. We hope it encourages us all to support Ukraine, even more, to hasten our victory, save lives, and start the process of rebuilding and integration.