Historians will spend eternity trying to explain why Donald Trump and his administration turned against Ukraine and Europe but one fact is clear: on 12 February 2025 the post Cold War era ended, and the post WWII international system came to a grinding halt. President Trump spoke at length to President Putin and they agreed to start negotiations immediately without Ukraine or the EU. Subsequent events were no less surprising: an anti-European tirade by US Vice President JD Vance at the Munich Security Conference, a US demand of Ukraine to sign away most of its rare earth resources, a first US-Russia meeting in Riyadh and President Trump accusing Ukraine of starting the Russian war of aggression against it, and calling President Zelensky a dictator. Europe, and many other parts of the world, is still reeling from these developments but it is undoubtedly Ukraine that is in the eye of the storm: from trying to deny it a say over its own destiny to attempting to impose elections upon it, and from cutting defence assistance to undermining funding to its civil society, the Ukrainian reality has changed rapidly, and for the worse. To understand this reality better Ilana Bet-El is joined by two leaders of civil society in Ukraine: Olena Tregub Secretary General of NAKO - the Independent Anti-Corruption Commission in Ukraine, and Inna Pidluska Deputy Executive Director of the International Renaissance Foundation. In a brave no-holds-bar discussion they reflect on the sense of betrayal by the US and the opposing sense of Ukrainian dignity, and the deep-felt sense that might is not right.
This episode was recorded on 20 February 2025.
Chapters
How is Ukraine reacting to Trump administration’s shift?
What does Ukraine expect from Europe now?
Is Ukraine’s civil society at risk?
What kind of deal would be acceptable for Ukraine?
Mentions
James Joll, Unspoken assumptions
BBC, Ukraine in maps: Tracking the war with Russia
Fact-checking Trump claims about war in Ukraine
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Olena Tregub LinkedIn, X/Twitter
Inna Pidluska LinkedIn
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Our partner European Leadership Network Twitter LinkedIn website
Credits
Production: Florence Ferrando
Music: Let Good Times Roll, RA #Uppbeat
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