A little more than a year into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, news of the fight still makes headlines and rivets the attention of Americans. Ukrainian flags flying from front porches in Kansas and Missouri are now commonplace, when not long ago the practice would have been unheard of. Still, understanding Ukraine’s current and possible future role on the world stage can feel challenging.

John Herbst, former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine and current senior director of the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center in Washington, D.C., examines how Ukraine’s place in global affairs has shifted in recent years and what precipitated the current conflict. Herbst, who spent 31 years in foreign service, discusses the current state of the Eastern European country, its relationship with the United Nations and neighboring countries, how it fits into the global economy, and what the future might hold for the war-torn nation.

He is joined in the conversation by Mark Wilcox, a retired Army intelligence and foreign area officer who’s now an associate professor in the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College’s Department of Joint, Interagency, and Multinational Operation. 

The presentation, co-sponsored by the International Relations Council. Additional support has been provided by the University of Kansas Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies; Lawrence D. Starr Center for Peace and Justice at the University of St. Mary; and Nancy C. Messer..