3rd May 2011
How can the Rada, the Ukrainian parliament, best ensure that it meets the democratic aspirations of the Ukrainian people? I’ve blogged before about the unfortunate propensity of members of the Rada to settle disputes by physical violence – inside the chamber – rather than by debate. When I noted recently with approval that there hadn’t […]
21st April 2011
I blogged in March about the Chernobyl charity walk which members of the British and French embassies were planning for 22 April. The great news is that the event, which is to help The Children of Chernobyl Relief and Development Fund and BLESMA, has already raised over UAH 130,000 – around #10,000. This is a […]
21st April 2011
This week Kyiv has seen one of its largest ever gatherings of international leaders as Presidents, Prime Ministers and other political figures and experts congregate on Kyiv for two conferences to mark the 25th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster in 1986. The first is a pledging conference to secure funds for the New Safe Confinement […]
14th April 2011
I’ve been blogging about Ukraine for a while now – over 170 entries, plus the web-diary I started in 2009 before the blog went live. It’s been a fascinating time and I hope readers have found the blogs interesting. Blogging is a good way to set out what I think about Ukraine on different issues. […]
12th April 2011
I recently wrote about the centre of Kyiv turning British. So it’s good to find the centre of Oxford turning Ukrainian. The occasion is the Canada-Ukraine Parliamentary Programme Oxford Model Ukraine Conference “Ukraine’s Domestic and Foreign Affairs: Quo Vadis” (“where are you going”), held in St Anthony’s College and New College, Oxford from 6-8 April. […]
5th April 2011
I’m in the UK this week to speak at the Oxford Model Ukraine Conference “Ukraine’s Domestic and Foreign Affairs: Quo Vadis?” (Quo vadis means “Where are you going?” in Latin.) It will be good to hear the views of the assembled experts, and to contribute my own thoughts – I’m speaking first thing on Thursday […]
4th April 2011
I often ask business and political contacts what they think about the progress of reform in Ukraine. Responses are mixed: some say things are getting better, some that they are getting worse, and others that things are neither better nor worse, but just different. I recently discussed this with a group of eminent economic and […]
30th March 2011
I’ve been in Warsaw this week meeting Polish and British colleagues and having my first good look around the city since I first visited it in 1987. It’s always interesting to compare neighbours, and the comparison between Poland and Ukraine tells us a good bit about both. This is particularly relevant as the negotiations on the proposed […]
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14th March 2011
I hold many events at the residence to promote educational providers or organisations, such as the Business Link Education Agency, which help to match up education providers in the UK with customers in Ukraine. We have also been able to host some valuable charity events. But it’s unusual to have an event which combines the […]
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11th March 2011
Anyone visiting Independence Square in the heart of Kyiv in the past few weeks will have seen the massive “British Business Days in Ukraine” banner stretched across the face of the Globus Shopping Centre. The British Business Days in Ukraine (BBDU) are nearly here – they run from 17-19 March. Some great British and Ukrainian […]