The All-Ukrainian Forum ‘Ukraine 30. Coronavirus: Challenges and Responses’ began with addresses from Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenskyy. In this opening speech the President noted that this year was the 30th anniversary of Ukrainian independence, and that after 30 years the country has reached the point for “a long-term, substantial and frank talk” about Ukraine’s successes and mistakes, and its plans for the future. This event is just the kick-off for a series of forums in Ukraine about its reality and future. The forum was also addressed remotely by European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

These opening addresses from these three leaders were followed by an intense press conference where President Zelenskyy mentioned that he would not be included in the first round of vaccinations in Ukraine (as that is mainly for medical workers) but that he would get vaccinated in the second round along with Ukraine’s military, as their commander-in-chief.

The multiple sessions on day 1 of the forum covered the response of the world and the EU against COVID-19, international cooperation against the pandemic, the vaccination rollout, and how to increase public trust in vaccinations.

The first session was a dialogue between high-profile representatives who discussed responses to the virus. US Chargé d’Affaires Kristina Kvien highlighted US support for Ukraine; USA allocated almost 43 million dollars for Ukraine and not only medical support to combat the virus and start vaccinating, but also support to help small and medium-sized businesses weather the storm.

Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic integration Olga Stefanishyna warned that the international community had to prevent the triumph of “national selfishness” during this crisis, as this would “call into question not only the safety of every citizen, but the very values... on which the modern world, and the EU in particular, are based.” EU ambassador Matti Maasikas noted that societies with high degrees of trust tend to do better in the pandemic. He averred that good governance is the basis of this trust, and that is one of the reasons why the EU continues to massively invest in supporting key Ukrainian reforms during this crisis.

The importance of the EU’s COVAX initiative to Ukraine was pointed out by a number of speakers during the forum, and multiple speakers also brought attention to the dangers of disinformation. After further observations and comments from a range of Ukrainian and international experts the program concluded with a panel discussion with leaders from four different faith traditions: Orthodox, Greek Catholic, Protestant, and Muslim, who discussed their views on the COVID crisis and the hurdles faced by their communities and by the world./Forum ‘Ukraine 30

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