YES history at a glance

In July 2004 Victor Pinchuk gathered about 30 European leaders to debate about Ukraine’s prospects of joining the EU. The meeting’s participants included Prime Minister of Canada (1993-2003) Jean Chrétien, French MP Dominique Strauss-Kahn, and member of European Parliament Marek Siwiec. On the second day of that first successful meeting several participants proposed transforming the private initiative into an international organization to promote Ukraine joining the EU. Hence, the Yalta European Seminar was transformed into the Yalta European Strategy, an independent philanthropic foundation established in Ukraine.

YES published the first European Survey showing that Ukraine was #1 favorite candidate for the EU accession: 55% of Europeans wanted Ukraine to join the EU. The survey reflected opinions of citizens of France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and the UK, and showed that Ukraine’s accession was welcome by Europeans.

The high-level event brought together about 70 political, business and society leaders to talk about “U in the EU: next steps for Ukraine?” The participants included Prime Minister of France (1998-1991) Michel Rocard, MP; State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Slovakia Magda Vášáryová; State Secretary for European integration of Croatia Marija Pejčinović Burić; and President of the International Crisis Group Gareth Evans.

YES Board Members met President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso to call for a more proactive stance of the EU on Ukraine on the eve of EU-Ukraine Summit.

The day before the EU-Ukraine summit in Kyiv YES presented the findings of the second wave of its European public opinion survey, which confirmed Europeans’ support for Ukraine’s future within the EU. Ukraine ranked as #1 favorite candidate for accession, not only generally (51%), but also in each of France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and the UK, which together made 75% of the EU’s total population.

The international conference gathered about 400 participants to discuss Ukraine’s political development after the parliamentary elections and perspectives of the key political forces on European integration. Representatives of Nasha Ukraina and Yulia Tymoshenko Block presented their parties’ views on steps that Ukraine should make to get closer to the EU.

YES Board met with EU Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner to urge that the EU should go beyond the European Neighbourhood Policy in relations with Ukraine.

The 3rd Yalta Annual Meeting gathered over 120 high-level politicians, thinkers, business leaders and journalists. Speakers at the conference included Prime Minister of Ukraine Yuri Yekhanurov, Speaker of the Parliament of Ukraine Oleksandr Moroz, President Aleksander Kwaśniewski, Prime Minister of Croatia Ivo Sanader, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Romania Mihai Ungureanu, chairman of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly Pierre Lellouche, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament Elmar Brok and the President of the Brookings Institution Strobe Talbott. In his video address to the 3rd Yalta Annual Meeting, President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso spoke highly on the YES contribution to developing relations between EU and Ukraine. YES presented Agenda 2020, a strategy of Ukraine’s accession to the EU. President of Poland (1995-2005) Aleksander Kwaśniewski joined the Board of YES.

YES Board met President of Ukraine Victor Yushchenko to present the Agenda 2020. The report was welcomed as important for shaping strategy and tactics for pursuing Ukraine’s European integration course. Agenda 2020 was also presented to the Brussels policymaking community.

YES Board met Olli Rehn, EU Commissioner in charge of the Enlargement to present the Agenda 2020 and to discuss prospects for further EU enlargement and Ukraine’s chances to join.

61% of Europeans believed the EU should take a proactive approach to Ukraine, the survey showed. 55% said they would be in favour of Ukraine joining the EU – should it meet all necessary conditions. The young generation was particularly enthusiastic about Ukraine’s EU membership, with 63% of those aged between 18 and 30 in favour. The majority (59%) believed that Ukraine would join in around 10 years time. YES Board Member Alexander Kwaśniewski presented the findings to the 3rd Davos Ukrainian Lunch, the top Ukrainian event during the World Economic Forum.

The Prime Minister’s speech signaled the government’s intention to establish a more effective and constructive relationship with leading EU member states and Brussels. The YES Board met with PM Yanukovych to discuss Ukraine’s further steps in developing Ukraine’s relations with the EU.

YES public debate in Lviv, Dnipropetrovsk and Donetsk at the leading regional universities and think-tanks gathered about 1,300 students, academia, local government officials, civil society activists, and journalists to discuss Ukraine’s European identity and its relations with the EU.

YES partnered with the Delegation of the European Commission and took debates with politicians and diplomats to Ukrainians in the streets of Kyiv.

YES gathered about 200 participants, including President of Ukraine Victor Yushchenko, President (1994-2001) of the USA William J. Clinton, Chancellor of Germany (1998-2005) Gerhard Schroeder, Prime Minister of Slovenia Janez Jansa, and President of Poland (1995-2005) Aleksander Kwaśniewski to discuss the Agenda 2020, the future of the EU-Ukraine relations, the changing political leadership in Europe and the world, prospects for a EU-Ukraine free trade area, energy challenges, and the judiciary reform.

The YES University was designed to identify, educate and engage the next political generation, and promote a network of well-connected, knowledgeable future politicians in Ukraine and the EU. President of Ukraine Victor Yushchenko, Minister of State and Foreign Affairs of Portugal Luis Amado and Member of the European Commission for Consumer Protection Meglena Kuneva discussed European affairs and Ukraine’s integration prospects with over 150 representatives of youth organizations of the three major European political families and their Ukrainian peers on the day of the EU-Ukraine Summit in Kyiv.

Following consultations with Ukrainian decision-makers and businesses, YES discussed with Commissioner Mandelson the issues faced by Ukraine in the process of the WTO accession and preparing for negotiations of the future Free Trade Agreement between the EU and Ukraine.

56% of French citizens support Ukraine’s accession to the EU, said the opinion poll performed by TNS Sofres for YES on February 5-6. Members of the Board of YES met President Nicolas Sarkozy before his meeting with Ukraine’s President Victor Yushchenko in Paris to present those results.

Immediately after the FTA negotiations between the EU and Ukraine were launched in Kyiv by EU Commissioner Peter Mandelson and President of Ukraine Victor Yushchenko, YES and the European Business Association launched debate with the business community and policy-makers on how to make the FTA work.

To bridge the gap between research, analysis and policy-making, leading FTA experts from Ukraine and the EU produced recommendations for the FTA negotiations. The conclusions were presented to the political and government senior decision.

To bring the debate on the future of Europe and Ukraine to the Ukrainian people, YES took the lead in organizing public discussions in Kyiv, Odessa and Donetsk, as part of the Europe Days in Ukraine, in which YES was a special partner of the Delegation of the European Commission to Ukraine and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.

YES made its assessment of Ukraine’s progress on the way to the EU towards the goals outlines in Agenda 2020. The event brought together over 200 prominent personalities of politics, business and society to take a global perspective on the key challenges and opportunities for Europe and Ukraine. The issues in focus included the global financial and economic crisis, gas supply, the future EU-Ukraine free trade area, the Black Sea region, and prospects for infrastructure investment in Euro 2012. The participants of the 5th Yalta Annual Meeting include Prime Minister of the UK (1997-2007) Tony Blair, President of Georgia Mikhail Saakashvili, IMF Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn, Speaker of the Ukrainian Parliament Arseniy Yatsenyuk, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Raissa Bohatyreva, and Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine Hryhory Nemyria.

150 young and future political and society leaders from Ukraine and 27 other countries of Europe gathered in Kyiv to debate issues affecting the future of the EU and Ukraine – including the global crisis, the Lisbon Treaty, the risk of a new “cold war” and transformation of Ukraine. Speakers at the 2nd YES University included EU Commissioner Ján Figeľ, fmr. Speaker of Parliament of Georgia Nino Burjanadze, President of Poland Aleksander Kwaśniewski, fmr. Minister of Defence of Ukraine Anatoliy Hrytsenko, MP, member of the 1st, 3rd and 4th Russian State Duma Sergey Glaziev, Hryhoriy Nemyrya, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, Ukraine’s Minister for Youth Affairs Yuri Pavlenko, and Chairman of the Delegation to the EU-Ukraine Parliamentary Cooperation Committee Adrian Severin, MEP.

YES cooperated with the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung and the Victor Pinchuk Foundation in launching a youth debate forum within which Ukraine’s future leaders and experts address the challenges faced by the country. Over 100 participants the conference included fellows of the YES University, Zavtra.UA, and the Kyiv School of Economics.

The discussants at the event included Vice-President of the European Parliament and YES Board member Marek Siwiec, Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine Hryhory Nemyria, head of EU-Ukraine Interparliamentary Cooperation Delegation Adrian Severin, MEP; IMF Resident Representative in Ukraine Max Alier, Deputy Director General of RELEX Hugues Mingarelli, representatives of DG Enlargement and ECFIN. The discussions focused on the situation in Ukraine and the role the international community and especially the EU should play to help mitigating the crisis. Jean-Pierre Saltiel presented results of the study of Ukraine’s economic and financial situation and recommendations for dealing with the challenge.

YES partnered with the Brookings Institution and the Victor Pinchuk Foundation to organize the “Frontiers of Europe” conference that brought together a select group of leading senior officials and experts from the USA, the EU, NATO, Russia and Ukraine to assess Western policies designed to solve pending regional issues and to advance the process of stabilization and integration.

On the occasion of the visit of the IMF Mission to Ukraine, YES hosted a discussion with the IMF. The meeting was an opportunity for Ukrainian large business decision-makers to share their views on the IMF programme for supporting Ukraine’s work towards financial and economic recovery.

The 6th Yalta Annual Meeting called for innovative solutions and audacity to anticipate change. It brought together a remarkably strong and diverse group of decision-makers and opinion leaders from Ukraine, the EU, Russia, the US, China and beyond to debate the future of Ukraine’s and the world’s economy and the key political trends. In a live TV link with Jerusalem, President Shimon Peres shared his vision of building a successful state. Insights into the global economic and financial crisis and its aftermath were offered by George Soros, Dominique Strauss-Kahn and Alan Greenspan, who joined the debate via live TV links from New York and Washington D.C. Ukraine’s Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, leader of the Party of Regions Viktor Yanukovych and leader of the “Front of Changes” Arseniy Yatsenyuk, came to Yalta to present their visions of the future of Ukraine after the 2010 presidential election. Aleksander Kwaśniewski, James Wolfensohn, Philippe Le Houérou, Ceyla Pazarbaşıoğlu, and Joschka Fischer, among about 200 participants, also addressed global economic issues, prospects for Ukraine’s economic recovery and the EU-Ukraine-Russia relations. The Chinese perspectives on the world after the crisis, presented by China’s former Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Wu Jianmin and a leading entrepreneur from Hong Kong Ronnie Chan, encouraged the participants to take a broader look on the rapidly changing world.

Former High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy of the European Union (1999-2009) and Secretary General of NATO (1995-1999) Javier Solana and the President of the Brookings Institution and former Deputy Secretary of State of the USA Strobe Talbott came to Kyiv to lead a public debate on “Global Challenges: How Europe and the US Respond,” organized by YES and the Victor Pinchuk Foundation. The event was attended by over 300 students, postgraduates and young scholars from the country's top universities. The discussion focused on the future post crisis world order, the shift of centres of regional and global influence, climate change, foreign policy of the 21st century, and stability of international security.

The Board of YES has elected Aleksander Kwaśniewski, former President of Poland (1995-2005), as the organization’s Chairman. "I am very honoured to be the new Chairman of the board of YES,” President Kwaśniewski said. "As a Member of the Board for three years, I know that tremendous work has been done and much has been achieved since the inception of YES in 2004. As Chairman of the Board, I will do my best to bring the relations between Ukraine and the European Union to a new level and work with Ukraine towards achieving its eventual EU membership."

Members of the Board of YES held a series of working meetings with the European decision-making community in Brussels, to announce the election of Aleksander Kwaśniewski as Chairman of the Board of YES and to discuss Ukraine's foreign policy priorities and reform agenda. The discussion focused on Ukraine's relations with the EU and Russia, the negotiations on the future deep and comprehensive free trade area between Ukraine and the European Union, and the prospects for boosting Ukraine's integration with the EU.

Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych met members of the Board of YES to present his reform agenda and to discuss future cooperation. The main strategic goal for Ukraine was, is and will be the integration to the European Union, President Yanukovych said.

Javier Solana, former European Union High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy and Secretary General of the Council of the EU, has joined the board of Yalta European Strategy. „Ukraine has a special place in my heart,” Javier Solana said, “therefore I am happy to be able to support its work towards European integration as a Board member of YES. I will work with the YES Board to provide concrete advice and help foster a constructive dialog on how to tackle common global challenges and pave the way to Ukraine's EU integration.”

The 7th Yalta Annual Meeting “Ukraine and the World: Re-Thinking and Moving On,” brought together over 230 Ukrainian and international leaders from politics, business and society to debate global and regional issues affecting Ukraine and Europe. The debates focused on global developments after the crisis and the role of key players of the new world order; integration in the broader European region; energy and climate change; models of modernization and visions of Ukraine's place in the changing world. The meeting’s key speakers included President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych, President of Poland Bronisław Komorowski, EU Commissioner Štefan Füle, and First Vice Prime Minister – Minister of Finance of the Russian Federation Alexei Kudrin. Other renowned speakers included Ukrainian PM Mykola Azarov, Alexander Babakov, Carl Bildt, Joschka Fischer, Andriy Klyuev, Borys Kolesnikov, Javier Solana, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, and Viktor Vekselberg. William J. Clinton, 42nd President of the United States, gave a speck on “The United States and the Global Shifts of the 21st Century.” The conference was joined by TV links by Kofi Annan, Fred C. Bergsten, Larry Summers, and Martin Wolf.

Perceiving Poland as a strong voice in the EU in favor of an effective Eastern policy and a champion for Ukraine’s integration with the EU, members of the Board of YES met with Polish President Bronisław Komorowski, Minister of Foreign Affairs Radosław Sikorski, Governor of the Polish Central Bank Marek Bełka, and other decision-makers in Warsaw. The discussions sought to familiarize Polish officials with Ukraine’s latest achievements in the political and economic field, confer on the financial and administrative challenges and reforms, and focused on providing input for the Polish Presidency of the European Union in the second half of 2011.

Members of the Board of YES initiate a series of meetings during the European Parliament’s session to exchange opinions with MEPs, representatives of the European Commission and the Council of Europe about Ukraine’s dialogue with the EU in the preparation of the Association Agreement and Ukraine’s chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. Participants of the meetings include Commissioner for Enlargement and the ENP Štefan Füle, Secretary General of the Council of Europe Thorbjørn Jagland, representatives of the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs, and the Delegation to the EU-Ukraine Parliamentary Cooperation Committee.

To discuss Ukraine’s political and economic development and its pursuit of European integration, and to present the vision for the 8th Yalta Annual Meeting to decision-makers and opinion leaders in Ukraine, YES initiated meetings with Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov, Members of Parliament of Ukraine, leading experts and journalists, the Ambassadors of the United States, the European Commission and EU member states, and the leader of the “Front of Change”, Arseniy Yatsenyuk.

The 8th Yalta Annual Meeting, “Ukraine and the World: Common Challenges, Common Future,” gathered 200 international and Ukrainian leaders from politics, business and society to debate new global challenges and look for their innovative solutions. The participants discussed the global economy; the reshaping of the international order; key trends shaping the world of tomorrow; integration processes; and human rights and democracy issues in the region. President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych and the President of the State of Israel Shimon Peres opened the meeting with their views on global challenges facing nations today. The meeting’s speakers also included Iryna Akimova, Mykola Azarov, Egemen Bağış, Carl Bildt, Tony Blair, Elmar Brok, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, Vladimir Filat, Štefan Füle, Niall Ferguson, Jürgen Fitschen, Kostyantyn Gryshchenko, Anatoliy Grytsenko, Thorbjørn Jagland, Kairat Kelimbetov, Vitaliy Klitschko, Andriy Klyuev, Boris Kolesnikov, Natalia Korolevska, Paul Krugman, Leonid Kuchma, Aleksander Kwaśniewski, Yuri Milner, Tarek Osman, Petro Poroshenko, Suresh P. Prabhu, Mani Shankar Aiyar, Radosław Sikorski, Javier Solana, Larry Summers, Strobe Talbott, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, and Igor Yurgens.

On November 10, 2011, the YES Board paid a visit to Warsaw to discuss prospects of Ukraine’s integration in the European Union, and role of Poland, holding the EU Presidency, in the final stage of negotiations on the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement. The Board met with Prime Minister of Poland Donald Tusk and Polish Minister of Finance Jan Vincent-Rostowski. Working meetings, which also included a delegation of Ukrainian experts and politicians, were held with representatives of the Polish MFA, Polish Parliament members, experts and journalists. YES also hosted a working dinner with a key-note address by Timothy Garton Ash, Professor of European Studies at University of Oxford.

During their visit to Ukraine on April 10-11, 2012, members of the Board of the Yalta European Strategy had a meeting with the President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych, where they discussed current developments in Ukraine and Ukraine-EU relations. Furthermore, the Board held discussions with high-level Ukrainian officials including Prime Minister of Ukraine Mykola Azarov, First Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine Valery Khoroshkovsky and Minister of Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko. They discussed ongoing reforms; the importance of transparent and democratic parliamentary elections in Ukraine, the development of integration structures, and the role of YES as a platform and facilitator. Meetings were also held with the Ambassadors of the US, key EU countries and the Russian Federation.

Aleksander Kwaśniewski, Chairman of the Board of YES, along with several Board members held meetings in Brussels with high EU officials and European Parliament members to discuss the latest challenges in EU-Ukraine relations and the prospects the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement including Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement.

The 9th Yalta Annual Meeting, “Ukraine and the World: Addressing Tomorrow’s Challenges Together” on September 13-16, 2012, gathers 200 selected international and Ukrainian politicians, civil servants, business and media representatives to discuss global challenges. Among the topics will be the global economy and security, innovation, integration options for Wider Europe, and Ukraine’s external and internal challenges.

After the 9th Davos Ukrainian Lunch held by the Victor Pinchuk Foundation at the occasion of the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum, the YES Board met in Davos. The meeting focused on the 10th Yalta Annual Meeting ahead. The Board members discussed the current political and economic situation in Ukraine, the tendency of development of its relations with the EU, Russian Federation and other countries, as well as addressed Ukraine’s possible positioning in the region.

On the 18th and 19th of March, 2013, the Board of Yalta European Strategy visited Kyiv to hold a range of meetings with Ukrainian officials to discuss Ukraine's development and relations with its neighbors. During the visit the Board met with President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych, who pointed out that strengthening of the rule of law and judicial independence remain unchanged priorities for Ukraine. The Board also held meetings with Prime Minister Mykola Azarov, Foreign Minister Leonid Kozhara, Head of the "Batkivshchyna" party Arseniy Yatseniuk, leader of UDAR party Vitali Klitschko, Head of the Committee of European Integration of the Parliament of Ukraine Hryhoriy Nemyria, as well as with Ambassadors of the EU countries. The meetings confirmed the need to support and foster further dialogue between Ukraine and its neighbors, and continue elaborating effective ways of cooperation. They also demonstrated that the vision for a mid- and long term strategy for Wider Europe and the important role of Ukraine in this is still in the shaping process and needs to be further worked on.

The 10th Yalta Annual Meeting entitled “Changing Ukraine in a Changing World: Factors of Success”, organized by the Yalta European Strategy (YES) in partnership with the Victor Pinchuk Foundation, took place at the historic Livadia Palace in Yalta, Ukraine, from 19th to 22nd September, 2013. More than 250 leaders from politics, business, society and media representing 20 countries discussed global challenges and their impact on Ukraine, Wider Europe and the world. Speakers of the meeting included: Tony Blair, Bill and Hillary Clinton, Štefan Füle, Dalia Grybauskaitė, Michio Kaku, Mario Monti, David Petraeus, Petro Poroshenko, Radosław Sikorski, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, Lawrence H. Summers, Lamberto Zannier, Robert Zoellick.

On March 25-26, 2014 Chairman of the Board of Yalta European Strategy, President of Poland (1995–2005) Aleksander Kwaśniewski visited Ukraine to discuss country’s development, political crisis recovery and relationship with the EU and neighboring countries. He also announced Kyiv as the venue of the 11th Meeting of Yalta European Strategy (YES).

The Yalta European Strategy (YES) Board on July 23, 2014 met in Brussels with President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso, EU Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighborhood Policy Štefan Füle and Deputy General Secretary of the European External Action Service Helga Schmid. The YES Board at the meetings was represented by Aleksander Kwaśniewski, former President of Poland and Chairman of the Board of the YES; Pat Cox, former President of the EP; Mário David, Vice-President of the European People's Party (EPP); Alexander Rahr, Senior Advisor of Wintershall Holding and Research Director of German-Russian Forum; Victor Pinchuk, YES Founder; Jean-Pierre Saltiel, former President of Rothschild Conseil International and Marek Siwiec, former Vice-President of the EP.

The 11th YES Annual Meeting, "New Ukraine, New Europe, New World - Building and Defending" on September  11-14, 2014 gathered more than 350 international and Ukrainian leaders from politics, business, society and media from more than 20 countries to discuss the impact of the historical events since November 2013 in Ukraine on the region, Wider Europe and the world. Previously, the forum was held at its traditional, historically important and famous venue – the Livadia Palace in Yalta, Crimea, where in 1945 the Yalta Conference was held and the leaders of USSR, USA, and UK discussed politics in a post-WWII world. In 2014, for the first time in its history, the YES Annual Meeting took place in the Ukrainian capital – Kyiv, as Crimea was annexed by the Russian Federation in March 2014. Speakers and panelists of the Meeting addressed crucial questions, such as: How can Ukraine address its internal and external challenges and the risks that emanate from them for Europe and beyond? How can Ukraine’s international partners effectively support the country’s further development? Global economy, world order and alliances of the future, Ukraine’s territorial challenges, country’s economic transformation and building its relationships with European Union and the Russian Federation were among the topics discussed at the 11th YES Annual Meeting. The Meeting’s speakers included: José Manuel Barroso, Richard Branson, Tony Blair, Petro Poroshenko, Toomas Hendrik Ilves, Martin Schulz, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, General Wesley K. Clark, Jimmy Wales, Mustafa Dzhemilev, Mohamed ElBaradei, Valdis Dombrovskis, Joschka Fischer, Štefan Füle, Aleksander Kwaśniewski, Leonid Kuchma, Javier Solana, Miroslav Lajčák, Yves Leterme, Tomas O. Melia, Carlos Pascual, Niall Ferguson, Roger Myerson, Timothy Snyder, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, Lawrence H. Summers, Pavlo Sheremeta and others.

After the traditional Ukrainian Breakfast held by the Victor Pinchuk Foundation and EastOne, international investment advisory group, at the occasion of the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum, the YES Supervisory Board met in Davos. The Supervisory Board members discussed with young Ukrainian MP’s, businessmen and civic leaders the current political and economic situation in Ukraine, ongoing reforms, latest tendencies of development of its relations with the EU, Russian Federation and other countries. 

On April 1-2, 2015 the Supervisory Board of YES has visited Kyiv and discussed with Ukraine’s leaders how to promote the country and support change. Among others, the Supervisory Board held meetings with Prime Minister of Ukraine Arseniy Yatsenyuk; Chairman of the Parliament of Ukraine Volodymyr Groysman; Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Pavlo Klimkin; members of the Parliament of Ukraine from the interfactional group "Eurooptimists".

The 12th YES Annual Meeting entitled “At Risk: How New Ukraine’s Fate Affects Europe and the World” took place on September 10-12, 2015. It convened in Kyiv more than 350 global leaders, government officials, business executives, and civil activists. The participants discussed new Ukraine’s impact on Europe and the world: How can Ukraine become a force for global stability and European values in today’s volatile global context? How can European security and peace in Ukraine be restored? Which risks faces the global economy and how does that impact on Ukraine? Which strategies can provide energy security for the world and Ukraine? How can global organizations and alliances structure cooperation among the countries of Europe, the West, the Russian Federation and beyond? Also, Ukraine’s reform achievements and deficits and in the economic, financial, legal and security sectors were discussed. The 12th YES Annual Meeting welcomed as speakers, among others, Shimon Peres, Tony Blair, Jean Asselborn, José Manuel Barroso, Johannes Hahn, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, Ivan Mikloš, Victoria Nuland, Carlos Pascual, Gen. David A. Petraeus, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Wolfgang Schüssel, Radosław Sikorski, Javier Solana, Strobe Talbott, Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga, Carl Bildt, Andrew Forrest, Elton John, Bernard-Henri Lévy, Arthur Laffer, Peter Pomerantsev, Timothy Snyder, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, Lawrence H. Summers, Petro Poroshenko, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, Aivaras Abromavičius, Volodymyr Groisman, Natalie Jaresko, Andriy Pyvovarsky, and Dmytro Shymkiv.

Following the 2016 Ukrainian Breakfast – traditional private event organized by the Victor Pinchuk Foundation and EastOne at the occasion of the WEF Annual Meeting – the YES Supervisory Board met in Davos. The focus of the meeting was which topics should be in the center of YES’ work in the coming year. Ukrainian MPs, government officials, and journalists participated in the meeting to shed light on the challenges and problems they face introducing reforms in Ukraine. 

Ambassador Wolfgang Ischinger, Chairman of the Munich Security Conference has entered YES Supervisory Board. “Ambassador Ischinger is one of the most renowned diplomats and experts on international policy. We are thrilled he will support YES in its mission to integrate Ukraine with Europe and the world,” said YES Founder Victor Pinchuk. Starting from 2016, the YES Supervisory Board consists of the following members: Aleksander Kwaśniewski (Chairman), Pat Cox, Wolfgang Ischinger, Stéphane Fouks, Victor Pinchuk, and Javier Solana. Mário David, Alexander Rahr, Jean-Pierre Saltiel and Marek Siwiec have joined the Circle of Friends of YES.

The YES Supervisory Board met in Kyiv with President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko, Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Groysman, and Prosecutor General of Ukraine Yuriy Lutsenko. The meetings focused on how YES can support Ukraine’s reform process and European integration. The YES Supervisory Board met also with the Ambassadors of the United States, Switzerland, Sweden, France and the UK, as well as with representatives of the “Eurooptimists” interfactional group in the Ukrainian parliament. 

Carl Bildt, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sweden (2006-2014), Prime Minister of Sweden (1991-1994) and member of the International Advisory Council under the President of Ukraine, has joined the Board of Yalta European Strategy. “With his unique blend of skills and extensive experience in foreign affairs, he will be a great addition to the Board in supporting YES’ mission to integrate Ukraine with the Europe and the world”, said YES founder and member of the Board Victor Pinchuk when commenting on the new appointment. The YES Board includes: Aleksander Kwaśniewski (chair), Carl Bildt, Pat Cox, Wolfgang Ischinger, Stephane Fouks, Victor Pinchuk and Javier Solana. Mario David, Alerxander Rahr, Jean-Pierre Saltiel and Marek Siwiec are part of the YES Circle of Friends.

Yalta European Strategy (YES) hosted the 1st Munich Ukrainian Lunch on “Ukraine's Security in a Shifting World Order” organized within the framework of the Munich Security Conference. The event brought together global decision makers and opinion leaders in the field of security to draw their attention to the challenges that Ukraine is facing. During the event, political and civic leaders discussed Ukraine’s security issues in the context of global changes and transformations. General David H. Petraeus (U.S. Army, Retired), Director, Central Intelligence Agency (2011-2012), Chairman, KKR Global Institute, KKR & Co. L.P. and Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Founder and Chairman of Rasmussen Global, Prime Minister of Denmark (2001-2009), Secretary General of NATO (2009-2014) took part in the panel. Stephen Sackur, Presenter, HARDtalk, BBC World News, moderated the discussion.

The Board that has gathered for the first time in a new membership, held meetings with the President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko, the Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Groysman and other leaders from politics, society and the diplomatic community. During the visit the Board discussed how YES and its upcoming 14th Annual Meeting can contribute to keep Ukraine on the international agenda and help support positive changes in the country.