Recently, a landmark event took place in Kyiv to discuss strategies for protecting Ukraine and European security in 2025. The event, organized by the Future of Ukraine Programme of the Cambridge University Centre for Geopolitics in partnership with the Centre of Policy and Legal Reform (CPLR), the Reanimation Package of Reforms Coalition and the Diplomatic Academy of Ukraine, brought together over a hundred diplomats and security experts.

The Centre of Policy and Legal Reform was one of the key partners of this event, which was held in the Chatham House format, which ensures an open and confidential dialogue between participants. This format facilitated a frank discussion on the strategic challenges Ukraine faces and possible ways to strengthen the security and resilience of the state.

Viktoriia Vdovychenko, Co-Director of the Future of Ukraine Programme at the Centre for Geopolitics at the University of Cambridge, and Olena Davlikanova, Program Officer at the Friedrich Ebert Foundation in Ukraine, presented a policy brief “Guarding the Future”, which contains effective policy recommendations for strengthening Ukraine’s security and resilience. 

“In the face of unprecedented challenges, Ukraine is demonstrating to the world that democracy can exist in times of war. Our path to the Euro-Atlantic community is, first and foremost, a value choice made by Ukrainians back in 2014, and for which we continue to fight every day,” said Yulia Kyrychenko, member of the CPLR Board and Co-Chair of the Reanimation Package of Reforms Coalition, in her welcoming remarks. Ms. Kyrychenko also thanked the authors of the policy brief and emphasized the value of this document for understanding the latest security challenges. In her opinion, the depth of analysis and practical recommendations presented in the document will certainly make a significant contribution to the discussion on the future of European security and the place of democratic values in countering authoritarian threats.

In her turn, Viktoriia Melnyk, coordinator of the European Integration Department of the CPLR, moderated the panel discussion “Strengthening Ukraine: Economic Power and European Unity”.

The event was attended by representatives of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, including members of the Committee on National Security, Defense and Intelligence, the Committee on Economic Development and the Committee on Ukraine’s Integration into the European Union, as well as government officials, international experts and diplomats.

“It is extremely valuable for us to be able to join the organization of this event and thus contribute to the formation of Ukraine’s national security and defense policy by strengthening expert dialogue and developing legal mechanisms for protecting national interests in the context of European integration,” said Viktoriia Melnyk, coordinator of the European Integration Department of the CPLR, after the event.

The event is organized by the Future of Ukraine Program of the Centre for Geopolitics at the University of Cambridge in partnership with the Centre of Policy and Legal Reform, the Reanimation Package of Reforms Coalition, the Diplomatic Academy of Ukraine with the support of the NATO Representation to Ukraine and DRI within the framework of the project “Democratic Integration, Resilience and Engagement” (Ukraine-DARE), which is implemented with the financial support of the Federal Foreign Office of Germany. The opinions and views expressed in this material do not necessarily reflect the position of the Federal Foreign Office of Germany and its partners.