An Outside Opinion

«Ukraine is the driving force. And the Ukrainian issue is the driving force to unite finally Europe. Russia is something, some place, where Europe ends. Because we talk about the geographical borders of Europe. In the sense of political, cultural, yes. Where Russia is, there is no Europe», — Ambassador of Poland H.E. Mr. Jaroslaw Guzy. Poland saw accession to the EU as a path to regain its freedom after the communist regime. Its experience highlights the importance of readiness for reforms and a firm stance for EU membership. In our new video project An Outside Opinion, Ambassador of Poland H.E. Mr. Jaroslaw Guzy, emphasizes the support Poland provides to Ukraine, especially during the conflict with Russia. Poland advocates for Ukraine's swift and resolute approach towards EU integration, while also emphasizing the importance of political unity to achieve this goal.

🇺🇲In 2007, Romania joined the EU. However, before that, it had to overcome numerous challenges such as transitioning from dictatorship to democracy, combating corruption, and adapting to European standards. The Ambassador of Romania to Ukraine, Alexandru Victor Micula, who was a guest on the second episode of our project An Outside Opinion, shared Romania's experience on the path to the European Union and provided advice for Ukraine. According to him, the reforms being conducted currently are extremely important, especially during wartime. We discussed the possibility of cooperation between Ukraine and Romania in the fields of energy, defense, digitalization, and infrastructure. As well as the necessity of increasing support for Ukraine from international partners, the impact of the war on Europe's security, and ensuring international accountability and condemnation of Russian aggression.

🗣«I can't really see the slightest chance that Russia could succeed in reaching its goals in Ukraine. I simply can't see it. I mean, I don't believe it. The aggressor must pay for the damage he has caused», — shared the Ambassador of Latvia in Ukraine, Ilgvars Klava. Latvia stands as a steadfast ally of Ukraine, recognizing the imperative for solidarity in the face of Russian aggression. Latvia's journey to the European Union and NATO ran parallel, driven by the goal of securing its independence. While NATO focused on military security against threats like Russia, the EU facilitated economic development and societal modernization. The support for Ukraine, the necessity of reforms on the path to the EU, economic sanctions, and post-war reconstruction were discussed in the latest episode of An Outside Opinion.

In the first issue of our project, An Outside Opinion, we spoke with Ambassador of Estonia Anneli Kolk about Ukraine's path to European integration. Kolk shared Estonia's own experience of joining the EU, highlights the importance of reforms, stability and international cooperation. She emphasized that Ukraine's path can be faster thanks to its 30-year independence and existing reforms. They also discussed the support of the European Union, the concern of partners about Russian aggression, security guarantees and the role of NATO. Additionally, the ambassador discusses potential areas of cooperation between Estonia and Ukraine, including digitalization and cybersecurity.

In the fifth, last, episode of An Outside Opinion, Oleh Rybachuk interviewed Iwona Reichardt, the Deputy Editor-in-Chief for New Eastern Europe and member of the management board of the Jan Nowak-Jeziorański College of Eastern Europe, a Polish non-governmental think tank. We asked: ⭐️ Why do Poles perceive the war that Russia is waging against Ukraine as their war? ⭐️ Is there war fatigue in Polish society? ⭐️ What is the biggest challenge to a country's democracy during a war? ⭐️ How to maintain a high level of support for joining the EU among Ukrainian society?

In the fourth episode of "An Outside Opinion" Oleg Rybachuk interviewed William Taylor, the US ambassador to Ukraine from 2006-2009. He is currently the vice president of the US Institute of Peace and head of its center in Europe and Russia. We asked him: How do average Americans feel about the war? Can war be an obstacle to reforms? What should be the foundation for rebuilding Ukraine? How can Ukraine get security guarantees after the war? What will the relationship between Ukraine and NATO look like in the future?

In the third episode of "An Outside Opinion" Oleh Rybachuk interviewed Andras Racz. Andras is a senior research fellow at the Center for Order and Management in Eastern Europe, Russia, and Central Asia at the German Council on Foreign Relations. He deeply understands these regions and Hungarian politics, which we also discussed actively. We asked him: ⭐️ What was Putin's critical mistake in this war? ⭐️ How effective are sanctions against Russia? ⭐️ How can Ukraine avoid repeating Hungary's mistakes and preserve democracy? ⭐️ How the war in Ukraine changes the system of checks and balances in the world? ⭐️ How can we avoid misunderstandings with Hungary about joining the EU and NATO?

Our guest is Gerald Knaus – founder and chairman of European Stability Initiative, a Berlin-based think-tank that works with the future of European enlargement and author of the award-winning SPIEGEL bestseller “What Borders Do We Need?”. We learned from Gerald: ⭐️ Will negotiations for Ukraine's accession to the EU begin in 2023? ⭐️ Did the war destroy some stereotypes about Ukraine? ⭐️ Why is the EU interested in Ukraine's European integration as well? ⭐️ How will the EU "punish" countries that tend toward authoritarianism, such as Hungary? ⭐️ Can these penalties be applied to new members of the Union? ⭐️ What should the transparent and effective reconstruction of Ukraine be like? ⭐️ What lessons from post-war reconstruction of Germany could be useful for Ukraine?

Head of The Centre of United Actions Oleh Rybachuk is launching a new series of interviews with diplomats, international experts, and researchers. His first guest is David Stulik. From 2007 to 2019, he was the press attaché for the EU representative in Ukraine, and now he is a senior analyst at the сenter "European Values". David Stulik told us:

⭐️ Why he didn't believe that "Kyiv would fall in three days"?

⭐️ What could undermine the unity of Europe in supporting Ukraine?

⭐️ Is it possible to carry out successful reforms during a war?

⭐️ How has the war changed Ukrainians' view of what the state should be like?

⭐️ How to make the Ukrainian government and parliament be more effective?

⭐️ Why did the Czech Republic avoid the threat of authoritarianism while Hungary did not?

⭐️ How can Ukraine guarantee its security alongside a neighbour like Russia?