President Trump will meet Friday in Washington with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to discuss mineral rights and peace, three years after Russia invaded. Meanwhile in South Bend, University of Notre Dame officials are gearing up for a Ukrainian Studies Conference that’s changed in tone since Trump has taken office.
When Notre Dame’s Nanovic Institute for European Studies started planning the conference a year ago, Ukraine was holding on to hope, buoyed by its inspiring resolve and strong support from the Biden Administration. But since taking office in January, Trump has seemingly blamed Ukraine for being invaded, telling the war-ravaged country, “you should never have started it.” Critics say Trump has granted major concessions to Russia before peace talks have even started.
From Thursday through Saturday next week, the Nanovic Institute will host “Revolutions of Hope: Resilience and Recovery in Ukraine.” Nanovic Director Clemens Sedmak says the conference remains relevant despite the recent developments.
"Now talking about hope in Ukraine sounds more and more like a provocation," Sedmak said. "This of course is not what we intend. We are very well aware of the changing climate on the macro level, and our friends from Ukraine who will be at the conference will be the first ones to talk about that. But they are also the ones who will tell us that they cannot afford to lose hope, and they will actively search for sources of hope and reasons to keep up the hope."
There’s a full slate of free events open to the public. Attending panel talks requires registering by 3 p.m. this Friday, but other things require no registration. Those include a panel talk with Ukrainian Archbishop Borys Gudziak, Notre Dame’s 2022 commencement speaker, Ukrainian art, poetry and music, and screening of the documentary film, “Porcelain War.”
