By Jochen M. Richter, Chairman Diplomatic Council Global Security Forum

Arriving by plane in Krakow, my taxi driver is of course Ukrainian but he is not too keen having a conversation. The train to Przemysl close to the border to Ukraine is a combination of ÖBB and SBB: excellent service, phone chargers work, bar carriage comes through to serve sandwiches and sweats as well as cold and hot drinks.

Following an easier than expected customs clearing, the subsequent train to Lviv is waiting. It offers a real bed for those travelling much further. The lady in my compartment is from Zaporishia, originally from Donetsk. Lost twice a home and her daughters in the end were fleeing to Prague. The train leaves on the minute and we arrive two minutes ahead of schedule. The train person comes to me showing on his phone the English announcement of the forthcoming arrival in Lviv.

Three nights without air alarm are like a blessing as I learn talking to locals. Yet, the level of exhaustion by the constant uncertainty is visible everywhere.

Each morning at 9:00 life stands still in Lviv for a brief moment. Church bells toll, people rise, stop walking or interrupt whatever they are doing. Everyone remembers those who lost their lives in the struggle of the country to remain free.

The discussions with politicians, city council members, collaborators of the office for EU integration, professors of three universities and their students underline that all are in favour of moving forward to a European future. Time and again I need to remind about the challenges and hard choices to be made. Frankly addressing the complicated questions like what means winning this war, allow for good and honest exchanges.

Meeting with a business person shows a different perspective as he seems to hope for a kind of Thatcher future for Ukraine. Discussions about regaining occupied territories and what entails to make those habitable demonstrates the clear belief in solutions through innovation.

Train to Kyiv

Next I take the train to Kyiv. Of course, it not only leaves on time but arrives a minute ahead of schedule. The service on board is comparable to the European train I took earlier.

One cannot miss to notice that Kyiv is a big city but also closer to potential danger. Much more police and paramilitary presence all around and at every possible place signs for shelter places in case of air alarm. 

The discussions on the occasion of the Ukrainian edition of my 2022 book about Romania’s accession experience underline Ukraine ‘s craving for a European future. But there is also worry that Europe might let them wait for too long. And there is clear concern about the rise of populism in a number of EU countries and the consequences for their EU process. I try to explain how many challenges still have to be discussed and solved inside the country. It is reassuring to meet representatives of the very active civil society in Ukraine. Yet, I learn that their influence on political decisions is a constant effort, often with mixed results. The sudden end of USAID creates a major challenge to all those organisations. Their fight to survive is a run from European partner to European partner aiming to cover at least part of their necessary funding.

A Visit to the Book Fair

The third day in Kyiv allows for a visit to the book fair where also my book is available. The afternoon provides for a walking tour of Kyiv with two young historians. I see besides landmarks also an oppressive shelter place where people during the first wave of attacks in 2022 lived 37 days underground in miserable conditions.

After hours walking we are slightly exhausted. Just having chosen a place to sit down for dinner air alarm sets off. While I don’t see anyone running, we three check the alarm app. One of the ladies states laconically that it is a Khymshall. She means to say, cannot be captured by air defence, so pray for being lucky. Is this now irresponsible? No, one gets so to say used to this almost constant threat. Dinner is in the end uninterrupted.

The night at about 1:15 again air alarm. Drowsily I get half dressed. Still lying on my bed I keep an ear on the corridor and somehow on outside noise. The neighbouring guests with young kids are also in the room and I don’t hear any air defence noise. Having fallen asleep again I notice in the morning that I actually was almost fully dressed. The person on the front desk of the hotel tells me that he saw from his window the air defence explosions but as he had a full shift ahead also went back to bed.

At all Times in Possible Danger

I am sure that it is difficult for the readers of this report to imagine this strange feeling of being at all times in possible danger and still trying to have a life including some sort of proper sleep.

The air alarm during the night lasts until after 11:00 the following Sunday and some places are therefore closed. However, at the St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery church service is packed with people attending. Outside in the yard many stands offer food and drinks. 

On the Freedom square I meet a Jordanian journalist from Al Jazeera reporting about Ukraine. We have a conversation about his attempt to keep also this region informed. In difference to all other places where the monuments are covered to protect them from attacks the one in Freedom square isn’t. The main statute wears since a while a military protection west. Another expression of Ukraine’s will to remain free. 

Meeting with an Advisor to the Ukrainian Parliament

Over lunch on this last day being in Ukraine I meet with an advisor to the Ukrainian Parliament. His civil society organisation is too struggling after the shutdown of USAID. We run over all the question of Ukraine’s future, the current situation and reform needs. An even stronger European support both in terms of strengthening institutions and financially is very clear.

The afternoon I spend with Vitalii, a translator and interpreter. In 2022 he had to relocate with family. Soon after it was possible, he developed a tour for those interested to see places like Irpin, Bucha, Hostomel and Moshchun. All the places were the early attacks by Russia in trying to capture Kyiv. They are linked to many places linked to atrocities which I saw myself. His own cousin defended in early 2022 the country against the assaults and ended up in Russian captivity. Just a week earlier he was released in the big prisoner exchange. He had lost 40 kg of weight.

Returning to Kyiv air alarm leads to GPS not functioning anymore. But he knows the city well and speeds to bring me to the train station. Apart from the US chains KFC and McDonalds all restaurants keep serving allowing to have dinner.

On the Way to Romania

In the train leaving to the Romanian border I meet a Ukrainian father that decided after some difficult time in his private life to join the army. We have an intense discussion about his prospects, unity of the country and expectations from the European partners. He is open about their Russian relatives with whom they can no longer have meaningful exchanges. I wish him well knowing that he leaves wife and a three year old boy behind. 

The arrival in Bucharest and the first discussions are overshadowed by the results of the Polish elections, the fall of the Dutch government and Romania still sorting out the follow-up to its presidential elections.

Book Presentation in the sixth European country

The book presentation “Europe and the Evolving New Global Order”, being the sixth European country, brings together 5 of the co-authors. In the public are, amongst others, Romania’s first EU Commissioner, Leonard Orban, and a former Romanian Ambassador to the UN.

Discussions here but also with the Dean of the SNSPA university, the advisor to the Romanian President and the CEO of the New Strategy Center, another co-author, turn around disinformation effects, whether Europe has woken up to its security challenges and how education can contribute to adjust our mindset.

It is interesting to note that specialists in disinformation recognise their early strategies did not remedy the effects. This being an incomplete appreciation of the mechanisms of those spreading false information. Part of the problem is on the one had a completely unreflected consumption of social media content. A phenomenon that cannot save our democracy by just limiting the use of these media for children. On the other hand we all follow to much our impetus to react instantly to news with comments or flagging such information. This is an unhealthy behaviour into the ranks of serious politicians and even ambassadors.

Learning to Act in Multi-Crisis Situations

During the discussion following the book presentation the question comes up which order we would see to rise. My honest answer was that we don’t know yet but the outcome will also depend on Europe’s take of this challenge. Will we be bystanders or shapers? Furthermore it was rightly observed that the comprehensiveness of European action is very important. Another decisive element is learning to act in a multi-crisis situation. That requires trust in others and decision of labour. Another interesting point was about European combat cooperation. That is likely to become an important element in securing a future ceasefire situation in Ukraine.