Svitlana Kovalchuk, “In the nowadays world, being on the side of Ukraine is prestigious, right, and constitutes a political perspective”

Ukraine is now the primary topic of many of the most authoritative world forums, where the global political and economic agenda is being formed. We talked with Svitlana Kovalchuk, executive director of the similar Ukrainian forum YES, a candidate in political sciences,

and a political expert, what is happening there, and how our country looks in the eyes of the international community.

You are a co-organizer and participant in Davos events and the Munich conference. What have you heard about Ukraine on the sidelines?

As a matter of fact, on the sidelines of international events, they discuss the war, of course, the further scenarios of its development and termination, and – what is extremely important – the scenarios of the reconstruction of Ukraine.

How has the image of Ukraine changed in the eyes of the world and our partners?

Previously, Ukraine was often perceived as an integral part of the post-Soviet space, as a fragment of the USSR, which is still inextricably linked with Russia in socio-cultural, economic, and other spheres. Before, there were almost no specialists studying Ukraine separately at significant world forums, meetings, and conferences; experts on Eastern Europe and specialists who examined the former Soviet Union and the CIS were invited to speak. Not Ukraine as a separate sovereign state. Today the situation has fundamentally changed. Now all partners know for sure: there is Ukraine, it is a European state, a state that is currently fighting for the freedom of the whole world! The attitude has changed as now courage, heroism, freedom, resiliency, and stability are associated with Ukraine. International partners provide support - each on their front because everyone understands that today’s situation in Ukraine may occur in their country tomorrow.

What profound changes will Ukraine’s reputation undergo?

A unique breakthrough was made this year. Before the russia’s open full-scale invasion in February, only a few people in the world (including in Ukraine) believed this could happen at all. In a private conversation at the end of January, the former Deputy Secretary General of NATO told me that putin would not take such a step. Everything looked like absolute madness from all sides – both military and financial, not to mention legal and image ones. It was difficult for the pragmatic West to grasp the imperial machinations of the head of the kremlin. But after February 24, many discovered the true essence of putin and his regime, as well as millions of Russians poisoned enough by propaganda to rejoice in the deaths of Ukrainian children.

But even then, before the start of a full-scale invasion, few believed in Ukraine’s ability to resist. According to the worst estimates of experts, 

Kyiv was supposed to fall in a matter of days, and President Zelenskyi was offered to leave Ukraine and head the government in exile. However, it did not happen. When the Western countries saw what the Ukrainian army, the Ukrainian economy, and the Ukrainian people are capable of, it forced them to revise their budgets and even their Constitutions and abandon their eternal neutral status to support Ukraine in the war.

Today, the prospect of Ukraine’s membership in the EU and NATO no longer looks like an unattainable dream. Now this is a step-by-step plan that will one day be finally implemented.