About YES

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The Yalta European Strategy (YES) is an international platform that has been shaping the global debate on Ukraine and its place in Europe and the world for over two decades. Founded by Victor Pinchuk in 2004, YES brings together political leaders, business representatives, media figures and leading thinkers from Ukraine, Europe, the US and other countries around the world.

For over 20 years, YES has been a respected forum for open dialogue. At pivotal moments in Ukraine’s history, YES connects Ukraine with international partners, generates new ideas, strengthens reform-minded forces and mobilizes international support for Ukraine’s future. At the same time, since its inception, YES has remained a platform for discussion between the government and the opposition, as well as between leaders from politics, business, the media and civil society.

The Annual YES meeting was held at the Levadia Palace in Yalta from 2004 to 2013. This symbolic location, where Europe was divided in 1945, became a venue for uniting a broader Europe. Following the Russian Federation’s illegal annexation of Crimea, YES relocated to Kyiv, where it continues its mission to establish Ukraine as a leading platform for discussing the challenges, trends and innovations that are changing the world.

YES meetings have brought together heads of state and government such as Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, Bill Clinton, Dalia Grybauskaitė, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Toomas Hendrik Ilves, Boris Johnson, Bronisław Komorowski, Mario Monti, Shimon Peres and Donald Trump. Among the speakers were also heads of international organizations like Kofi Annan, José Manuel Barroso, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Ronald Noble, James Wolfensohn, Lamberto Zannier and Robert Zoellick. Senior officials, such as Hillary Clinton, Valdis Dombrovskis, Robert Gates, Johannes Hahn, Chrystia Freeland, Victoria Nuland, Condoleezza Rice and Martin Schulz, have spoken at the meetings. In addition, experts and social leaders like Richard Branson, Richard Haass, Niall Ferguson, Arthur Laffer, Timothy Snyder, Larry Summers, Nouriel Roubini and Strobe Talbott have been among the panelists. Presidents and Prime Ministers of Ukraine, as well as Ukraine’s political, business and social leaders, regularly speak at the meetings.

The YES Board includes Aleksander Kwaśniewski, President of Poland (1995-2005), Chairman of the YES Board; Carl Bildt, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sweden (2006-2014), Prime Minister of Sweden (1991-1994); Wolfgang Ischinger, Chairman of the Munich Security Conference; Kersti Kaljulaid, President of Estonia (2016-2021); Sanna Marin, Prime Minister of Finland (2019–2023); Victor Pinchuk, Founder and Member of the Board, YES and Founder of the Victor Pinchuk Foundation and EastOne group, and Stephane Fouks, Vice President of Havas Group, Executive Chairman of H/Advisors.