About the Center

Yuna Potomkina co-authored an article “Intricacies and Challenges in Building a Lasting Peace for Ukraine”. The article analyzes the complex history and critical challenges of peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia, covering the period from the annexation of Crimea in 2014 to diplomatic efforts in 2025. The authors examine the reasons for the failure of previous agreements, such as the Minsk Protocols and the Istanbul Communiqué, pointing to Moscow’s manipulative strategy and the lack of effective enforcement mechanisms. The text emphasizes that sustainable peace is possible only if Ukraine plays a leading role in the negotiation process and civil society is actively involved.

Tetiana Kyselova in co-authorship with Vera Axyonova has published an article “Beyond high-level diplomacy: The OSCE and intra-societal dialogue in Ukraine” (in German). The article explores ten years of fruitful cooperation of Ukrainian mediators and dialogue facilitators with the OSCE Project Coordinator Office to promote dialogue culture in Ukraine to foster social cohesion, and support national reforms. Despite the challenges posed by Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, it remains critically important to continue such initiatives for maintaining societal resilience and effective post-war recovery in Ukraine.

Our Minsk article was recognized as an Editor’s spotlight by Foreign Affairs. In March 2025, Yuna Potyomkina and Tetiana Kyselova published an article, “How Not to End the War in Ukraine,” in which we examined the bitter mistakes of the Minsk negotiation process and the agreements. A year later, the findings remain, unfortunately, even more relevant. The agreement that President Trump is pushing for is likely to repeat many Minsk mistakes and be even more problematic, if it is going to be at all.

Tetiana Kyselova gave an interview to  Solomiya Magazine No. 5—After Now, where she reflected on the evolving landscape of peace negotiation efforts in the context of the Russian aggression against Ukraine. The interview explains why the current negotiation processes surrounding the  war are unprecedented, unconventional, and often ineffective. In the conversation, Tetiana Kyselova emphasizes that without security guarantees and conditions that would compel Russia to negotiate in good faith, diplomatic efforts will be extremely difficult. She also stresses that true peace for Ukraine means not only a ceasefire, but the preservation of statehood, Ukrainian identity, and guarantees of non-recurrence of aggression.

Tetiana Kyselova joined the “Embrace Democracy: Reflections from the European Neighbourhood” podcast for its third episode, titled “Gaza and Ukraine: What does it mean to work for democracy in the midst of war?” In the episode, Dr. Kyselova provided a Ukrainian perspective on democratic engagement during war, discussing critical lessons from the ground and how the EU could play a more constructive role in the region.