YES Annual Meeting provides a platform for stimulating forward-looking discussions on current global challenges and their impact on Europe and Ukraine.
YES is pleased to announce that
@MarinSanna
, Prime Minister of Finland (2019–2023), has joined the YES Board. Appointed at the age of 34, Ms. Marin served as the youngest Prime Minister of the world when taking office in 2019. Having led her country through the global pandemic
Czech President
@general_pavel
“Air defence, including anti-aircraft and anti-missile systems, whatever we can deliver, is needed now in a short term. So the more air defence assets we deliver to 🇺🇦right now, the better.”
#MSC2023
Ukrainian Lunch
Aleksander Kwaśniewski, President of Poland (95-05), Chairman of the YES Board concluded: “Sometimes the unbelievable can be true. When we spoke last year we didn’t expect full scale war. When the war started, we didn’t believe Ukraine would be that strong and that effective.
“My message to millions of Ukrainians is that we are fighting for families like yours. When they come back, they will come back to Ukraine, not to the USSR, but to an independent Ukraine” -
@ZelenskyyUA
#YES2023
#VictorPinchukFoundation
This week, September 9 - 11, the world’s most acclaimed thinkers will be meeting in
#Kyiv
for the
@yes_ukraine
Brainstorming meeting to discuss key global risks and their implications for
#Ukraine
, while creating and testing new ideas
"We need Germany to stand tall and lead" -
@harari_yuval
addressed Germany during an online conversation “The War in Ukraine and the Future of the World” organized by YES. Watch the discussion following the link
#UkraineRussianWar
#Ukraine
“The Ukrainian morale is the same we had in 2014. Our spirit is unbreakable. We prove this everyday. Both our soldiers, headquarters the same. This resilience is our strength” Hannah Maliar
#YES2023
#VictorPinchukFoundation
“Ukraine is now at the centre of history, by which I mean the war in Ukraine is the most consequential in human history. The future of the entire democratic world depends on Ukraine's victory in the war against Russian aggression” – Victor Pinchuk
#YES2023
We're pleased to announce that the
@YES_ukraine
Brainstorming meeting will take place in
#Kyiv
on September 9–11. Save the date for crucial dialogue between the world’s most acclaimed thinkers and leaders on the future of Ukraine and the world beyond
“No, we have not seen one of these supposed Russian superweapons. T14s, T90s, are burning. Everything is burning, There are no unbeatable weapons here” - Kyrylo Budanov
#YES2023
#VictorPinchukFoundation
“Ukrainian history is fascinating, not
because it is Ukrainian history but because it can present you with everything. Europe, wars,
insurrections, rebellions, literature, poetry. Through the perspective of Ukrainian history, you can see the whole world”
@TimothyDSnyder
#YES2023
@anneapplebaum
commenting the Russian aggression against Ukraine said: “This war is over when Russia leaves. And it doesn’t really matter how Russia leaves or why they leave. We are not sufficiently creative about fighting them in all the different ways that they are fighting
“We have changed 180 our policy on Russia, as well as on our energy. We are paying billions of euros on energy, while Ukraine is paying with lives. We will phase out nuclear by the end of the year. And the answer is renewables within 20 years.”
#YESmeeting22
“I want my friends who are not mobilised to never be mobilised. I want nobody to go to war. I want everyone to survive. But we wage a war because we fight for freedom. And freedom is the right to choose”
@MasiNayyem
– What Heroes Fight and Give Their Lives For,
#YES2023
Geoffrey Nice: Governments around the world should start the process of fixing criminal responsibility and identifying the moral right and the moral wrong, because that will enable
#Ukraine
to move forward when the
#fighting
ends.”
#OneYearStayInTheFight
#UkraineRussianWar
“It is important to understand why our soldiers are fighting in small woods and ravines. You can speak about the big values like democracy, but there are very simple reasons. A person you hold very dear, or even simply for a stranger in the street who comes up to you in the
Bono is in Kyiv!
«I’m grateful to my friend Bono
@U2
for coming to Kyiv to support Ukrainians in the fight with russists! Such support is more important than ever!» - said Victor Pinchuk.
In a panel discussion during the YES meeting in Kyiv on the occasion of the second anniversary of Ukraine’s resistance to the full-scale invasion of Russia hosted by
@KwaniewskiOlek
,
@BorisJohnson
,
@AndriyYermak
discussed what Ukraine needs to win, and what changes need to be
“The sense of insecurity in Europe is uneven. If you are a Belgian, Portuguese, Spanish, you know that your country has never had Russian soldiers in your soil and never will. We are the West’s landmine in Poland and Ukraine”.
@sikorskiradek
#YES2023
#VictorPinchukFoundation
"Today, we are more optimistic in the scenarios than we were at the beginning of the war. The mood of the conference is optimistic and promising. I would like us to focus on the four key takeaways ahead of next years YES Annual Meeting:”
#YESMeting22
Oleksiy Chernyshov,
@NaftogazUkraine
CEO: "We have managed to go through this winter, the most critical winter in the history of
#Ukraine
. And I am happy to announce that we are completely fine with the volumes of gas, we have solved the fuel and oil crisis.”
“There is still an idea that strong people are above these problems. If you feel tired and frustrated, then you have to just deal with it. Many people are prevented from considering their mental health”
@ZelenskaUA
#YES2023
#VictorPinchukFoundation
“If Ukraine does not win, if Putin succeeds, this type of evil will be normalised across the world. Ukraine stands on the right side of democracy and needs our support”
@UnderSecStateP
#YES2023
#VictorPinchukFoundation
.
@cafreeland
, Deputy Prime Minister of Canada, spoke at
#UkrainianBreakfastDavos
. "We passed legislation to confiscate Russian frozen assets. Rebuilding
#Ukraine
will be expensive and fighting a war is expensive. So it makes sense that the aggressor will pay for the damage."
.
@FareedZakaria
asked the panel: “Ukraine has given us good news that they are making moves forward and taking the counter offensive. How fast can they go?”
#YESMeeting22
“Unfortunately, the West
after the collapse of the USSR decided that Russia can be democratic and Russia can be a friend. But this was a mistake”. Yehor Cherniev
#YES2023
#VictorPinchukFoundation
4. "We need to have a plan in place for the future. We can organise financials to build infrastructure in safer places so that more Ukrainians can come home."
#YESmeeting22
At
#YESMeeting22
guests were treated to a performance by musician & activist
@s_vakarchuk
. He told audiences how he enjoys performing to soldiers on the front line, to patients in hospitals and communities hit most by the war.
.
@FareedZakaria
asked the panelists: “Do you think you have the support you need from the West? What about the other countries? Those countries that are not with Ukraine or not with Russia.”
#YESMeeting22
“We’ve learnt not to reply on attempts to help us with peace agreements. We don’t trust in talks or protocols. We need new architecture with partners that we trust.”
#YESMeeting22
2. "The value of our unity. We can show how important a tool unity can be to other nations especially the EU. We can promote unity to the democratic world."
#YESmeeting22
“The most important thing for the world is to prove that our values of democracy and freedom are followed all the way through until the last Russian solder has left the soil” - What Works in Today’s World and What Must Be Changed
@Boris
Johnson,
#YES2023
#VictorPinchukFoundation
Opening UkrainianLunch
@MSC2023
- “Do enough now. This will be beneficial for the entire Europe &for the rest of the world that wants to live free. This is a unique moment in your lives that you can use to save the lives of Ukrainians,” - Victor Pinchuk.
Volodymyr Tarshyn, Deputy Head of
#Kharkiv
National Air Force University: “I’m deeply convinced that we will not win this war once and for all, reaching the national borders as of 1991, until we win the information
#war
in
#Russia
.”
.
@GeneralClark
, answered: “Speed depends on US support. There is only so much we can provide. There is a limit on the equipment side. This is a huge issue for the US army if there to be a sustained effort. It won’t be able to get to them quickly enough.”
#YESmeeting22
"Russians are allowing diplomacy to continue, suggests that they might be looking at some points in U.S. and NATO responses that might be worth pursuing and could start a path towards de-escalation"
@ARVershbow
during roundtable discussion by
@PinchukFund
YES
@ACEurasia
“We are grateful to our partners, but the narrative has to change. We have to help Ukraine win fast, not just help them to not fail.
Peace does not come when the country that was invaded stops fighting. Occupation is just another form of war” - What Works in Today’s World and
On the eve of the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Berlin, YES and
@PinchukFund
hosted in German Bundestag in cooperation with
@robinwagener
, Member of the Bundestag and Chairman of the German-Ukrainian Parliamentary Group, the discussion "Germany's Ukraine Policy – What Is the
Survey: How The West Perceives Ukraine, and What The West Expects From Ukraine organized by
@PinchukFund
& Yalta European Strategy. Results are available here
Thank you to
@ZelenskyyUa
,
@PinchukFund
, Ukraine Government, soldiers, volunteers and others defending Ukraine, speakers and guests of this year’s
#YESmeeting22
. This year has been a special meeting under unique circumstances. Despite the challenges it's been a huge success.
Watch roundtable discussion “How to support Ukraine and deter Kremlin aggression” organized by
@PinchukFund
@AtlanticCouncil
Eurasia Center and Yalta European Strategy:
"The war shows that no one can be secure. Today Ukraine, tomorrow another country. Ukraine is at the forefront of the ideals of freedom. Ukraine deserves to have very clear guarantees of what can happen.”
@AndriyYermak
#YESMeeting22
.
@RepJimCosta
expressed support to the Ukrainian people during the YES meeting in Kyiv on the occasion of the second anniversary of Ukraine’s resistance to the full-scale invasion of Russia: “We all agreed this was a seminal moment in world history and a test of our time. It was
"We are supporting Ukraine because it is in our national security interests. It is the smart thing to do to support Ukraine. The U.S. is a country of values. Supporting Ukraine is the right thing to do as well" Marie Yovanovitch during discussion by
@PinchukFund
YES
@ACEurasia
“Ukraine is a young punk band while Russia is like a jaded, slightly elderly cabaret singer who has lost his audience and popularity but tries to create an illusion of success and glamour”
@serhiy_zhadan
– The Power of Ukraine’s Ideas
#YES2023
#VictorPinchukFoundation
Figuring out what the incentive, and the pathway to success, is the key to reconciliation says
#StephenBiegun
- the incentive for the people of
#EasternUkraine
is better level of financial security, economic stability
Russia “built a toolkit on the border with Ukraine” & invasion is possible in three directions:
-in the north through Belarus
-in the center through Donbas
-in the south through Crimea from the Black Sea
@PMBreedlove
during discussion by
@PinchukFund
YES
@ACEurasia
.
@anneapplebaum
says colleagues in Kyiv feel the
#US
Embassy is much quieter than it was, and that they feel it is due in part to the current lack of a
#US
ambassador to
#Ukraine
.
#StephenBiegun
says that retired General Deighton is likely to be approved and in post in a month
“I want to support and stand by them"
@s_vakarchuk
shared. "I have many heart-warming stories of human resilience. The strength of our people is a symbol of our fight. We may be hurt, but we proceed and we recover. We shall overcome.”
#YESmeeting22
#YESMeeting22
guests were treated to a performance by
@kvartal95online
who discussed the importance of laughter during hardship. “Laughter can be a weapon in wartime. We wouldn’t survive without humour.”
Yalta European Strategy Turns 20: Two Decades Advancing the European Agenda for Ukraine.
On July 1, 2004, Yalta European Strategy held its first meeting in Livadia Palace in Yalta in Ukrainian Crimea. Ukrainian businessman and philanthropist Victor Pinchuk invited 30 European
Three key parts of being a politician: pay your taxes honestly, do not take bribes and do not employ your family. Through these actions you show that you do not care about yourself or your family more than everyone else in your nation.
@harari_yuval
says at
#YESUkraine2019
“You don’t always win wars. But you never win them unless you set victory as the goal. We have to set victory as the goal. In 2024 the Europeans have to help the Ukrainians to hold the line with or without the Americans.”
@TimothyDSnyder
at the 7th Munich Ukrainian Lunch hosted
Watch online the 5th Ukrainian Lunch in Munich “Europe's Security is Decided in Ukraine” organized on the margins of the Munich Security Conference by
@PinchukFund
&
#yes_ukraine
. February 19 at 13:30 (GMT+1) at
#MSC2022
“The system of international law requires that serviceman can be killed legally. The law only protects civilians. But servicemen were civilians yesterday”
@DmytroKuleba
– To Security and Justice in an Unsafe World
#YES2023
#VictorPinchukFoundation
.
@McFaul
Putin is ruling in least stable way, with a state built around one person, and economic growth is also not very good especially in 3rd decade of his rule, however other countries have seen people stay in power with low economic growth for a lot longer
#mugabe
#yes2018
"Financial investment in the Ukraine war is the most important thing we can do. Not just for the future of Ukraine but for the future of our own defence."
@nfergus
#YES2023
#VictorPinchukFoundation
Speaking at a
#DecidingYourTomorrow
session,
@HooverInst
senior fellow
@nfergus
said “We cannot afford Putin to claim victory, the moral costs would be unacceptable”, adding “war is a battle of weapons, and a battle of wits. Ukraine will win, as it has the will.”
“The struggle of liberalism versus illiberalism is not just between states, its within them. Be it Hungary, Ukraine, Italy or the United States.” says
@McFaul
#YESBrainstorming
Within less than a year, we have several effective vaccines. That is an amazing scientific success. And it has been a year of tremendous political failure
@harari_yuval
Watch
#YESOnlineConversation
#YESUkraine
“It’s for the Ukrainian people to decide what peace they want. But I believe that in order for that to be possible three things must happen: Give Ukraine the weapons it needs to win; Make it absolutely clear that Ukraine belongs in NATO and the EU ; Take the $300bn of frozen
.
@ngumenyuk
, moderator of the panel discussion, was joined by Metropolitan Epiphanius, Head, Orthodox Church of Ukraine;
@gustafgothberg
and
@avalaina
came together to discuss “Democracy, Corruption, Unity — Ukrainian Realities vs. Appearances” during the YES meeting in Kyiv on
Now, there is the new generation that looks at this world in a different way and thinks that some things are politically possible that were seen as completely impossible ten years ago
@rcbregman
Watch
#YESOnlineConversation
#YESUkraine
“It really was Angela Merkel who stopped Ukraine being given a
@NATO
membership action plan. We didn’t give them this, we did nothing to bring them closer to NATO. And Putin still did Georgia and Ukraine”
@sikorskiradek
#YES2023
#VictorPinchukFoundation
Welcoming remarks from
#VictorPinchuk
are about to start at
#YESBrainstorming
2021 both for our virtual audience and here in
#Kyiv
. Follow the stream here to keep up with the discussion:
‘Is Humankind Getting More Peaceful or Are We Heading Towards a Third World War?’
@sapinker
and
@nfergus
discuss. Don’t miss the discussion and watch our live stream now:
Now in its 17th year, the Annual YES Conference “Ukraine: Defending all our freedom” has been as successful as ever. Held in Kyiv, YES has shown resilience and collaboration is at the heart of Ukrainian success.
#YESmeeting22
“We began an active cooperation with Ukraine, became strategic partners developing our relations for the mutual benefit of both parties, for us to supplement each other,"
@haluk
said.
#YESMeeting22
The ceasefire is necessary to get a reduction in violence and tensions, and then an agreement regarding security of the borders of
#Ukraine
is the key to e.g. holding elections in
#EasternUkraine
says
#StephenBiegun