Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has told the Ukraine Recovery Conference (above) that “democracy paves the way for the rule of law”. He said resources and land were not the only reasons Russia invaded, but that “Russian bosses were very, very afraid of our democracy”.
There is only one outcome of this conflict that would be in the interests of the free world, of Ukraine and, ultimately, of the Russian people, says Vladimir Kara-Murza: resounding defeat for Putin, to be followed by political change in Russia and a Marshall Plan-type international assistance program both to rebuild Ukraine and to help post-Putin Russia build a functioning democracy so that it never again becomes a threat to its own people or its neighbors.
The architects of the Western policy of embracing Putin ignored two fundamental warnings from history: that internal repression in Russia always translates into external aggression and that appeasing an aggressor always leads to war, he writes for The Post.
Civil society has a crucial role to play across all six tracks of Ukraine’s recovery, adds Orysia Lutsevych, Deputy Director of the Chatham House Russia and Eurasia Program. Whether in ensuring the integrity of procurement for infrastructure projects via anti-corruption monitoring, working with children impacted by war, or supporting veterans, IDPs and returning refugees, civil society engagement will help strengthen the country’s resilience and social cohesion, ward against corruption, and provide innovative solutions to the many challenges facing Ukraine.
“Ukraine: How To Maintain Solidarity and Unity In Europe?” The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) hosts a discussion with Dominika Hadju, GLOBSEC democracy and resilience stream director; Katarina Klingova, senior research fellow at the Centre for Democracy and Resilience; Damon Wilson, NED president and CEO; and Assia Ivantcheva, NED senior director for Europe. 9 a.m. June 27, 2023. NED, 1025 F Street NW, Suite 800, Washington, D.C. RSVP
The National Democratic Institute hosts a leading voice from the forefront of Ukraine’s battle for information integrity. Mykola Balaban (below) is the Deputy Head of the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security of the Government of Ukraine, the agency leading Ukraine’s response to disinformation in partnership with civil society. Balaban joined the Center in 2021, having previously served at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He is a noted scholar of Ukrainian and European history, and an expert on the history of violence.
Join a hybrid conversation with Mr. Balaban at NDI on Tuesday, June 27th from 10:30 AM to 12:00 PM to discuss Russia’s information war and how Ukraine is responding in real time to ensure clear communication and combat the spread of disinformation.
Please register here. Zoom details will be shared closer to the event date for those who register to participate remotely. In-person guests will join NDI at 455 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Lobby 8.
