Ukraine's Drift Away from Europe and the Western Response

http://www.brookings.edu/events/2012/0327_ukraine.aspx

Event Summary

Two years after Viktor Yanukovych became president of Ukraine, serious questions have arisen about the state of democracy in the country and the economy, particularly in the crucial energy sector. At the same time, the gap between Ukraine and Europe appears to be growing, raising questions about how the United States and Europe should respond.

On March 27, the Center on the United States and Europe at Brookings (CUSE) will host a discussion on the challenges facing Ukraine, the U.S. and the European Union. In the first panel, Edward Chow, senior fellow with the Center for Strategic & International Studies; Nadia Diuk, vice president at the National Endowment for Democracy; and Brookings Senior Fellow Steven Pifer will discuss current Ukrainian domestic and foreign policy. Brookings Senior Fellow Fiona Hill, director of CUSE, will moderate. In the second panel, Pirkka Tapiola, an officer with the European External Action Service, and Daniel Russell, deputy assistant secretary of state in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, will discuss the European Union and U.S. policy responses. Senior Fellow Steven Pifer will moderate.

Participants

1:30 PM – Panel 1: Ukrainian Domestic and Foreign Policy under President Yanukovych

Moderator: Fiona Hill

Director, Center on the United States and Europe

Edward Chow

Senior Fellow

Center for Strategic & International Studies

Nadia Diuk

Vice President, Programs-Africa, Central Europe and Eurasia, Latin America and the Caribbean

National Endowment for Democracy

Steven Pifer

Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy, Center on the United States and Europe

3:15 PM – Panel 2: U.S. and EU Policy Toward Ukraine

Moderator: Steven Pifer

Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy, Center on the United States and Europe

Daniel Russell

Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs

U.S. Department of State

Pirkka Tapiola

Strategic Planning Division

European External Action Service