Ukraine should carefully assess future risks and opportunities – Victor Pinchuk
Ukraine and its partners in the West should carefully assess all the risks and opportunities the future brings, said Victor Pinchuk, the founder of the Yalta European Strategy (YES), the Victor Pinchuk Foundation and EastOne Group, in his welcome speech to the 15th YES Annual Meeting “The Next Generation of Everything”. The event is organized by the Victor Pinchuk Foundation.
“The future cannot be lenient towards those who do not care about it. Our conference focuses on the next generation of everything. One of the main issues today is the Ukrainian political season of 2018-2019 and risks resulting from disinformation, election meddling, and fake news coming from abroad. We need to foresee all these challenges. Here in Ukraine we cannot afford the luxury of underestimating the future,” the YES founder said.
Pinchuk noted that Western partners and friends of Ukraine also need to take these risks in earnest since what happens in Ukraine in 2019 could repeat itself in the West a year later.
In his welcome speech, the YES founder presented a diptych by Japanese artist Takashi Murakami created specially for Ukraine.
“This piece of art was created by one of the greatest artists of our time for Ukraine and Ukrainians. Takashi Murakami called it “Ukraine: The War and Peace”. One part of this painting shows skulls on the Ukrainian flag as a symbol of sacrifices and heroism, a high price we have been paying for our mistakes. Another part is about sunflowers smiling, about the future, this is Ukraine as the winner and warrior; Ukraine that is returning to Crimea, to Yalta,” Pinchuk said.
He added that prominent artists can predict the future better than politicians. “But do not ask the artist how he does it. They see the future but not so clearly as to be able to find a path to it. For this, we should turn to scientists, analysts, politicians and participants of this conference,” he concluded.
The official Twitter handle of the 15th YES Annual Meeting is @yes_ukraine, and participants and followers can include the hash tag: #YESUkraine2018
Partners of 15th YES Annual Meeting:
Arawak Energy, Hillmont Partners, lifecell, International Renaissance Foundation, Western NIS Enterprise Fund (WNISEF).
Media partners of 15th YES Annual Meeting:
Dzerkalo Tyzhnya (DT.UA), European Pravda, ICTV, Liga.net, Novoye Vremya Strany (NV), PRYAMIY Channel, Radio NV, The Kyiv Post.
