Former ambassadors to discuss Ukraine, diplomacy at UAF event

Former ambassadors to discuss Ukraine, diplomacy at UAF event

The University of Alaska Fairbanks will host a free public event focused on diplomacy and the war in Ukraine on Friday, Nov. 14, at 6 p.m. in the Davis Concert Hall on campus.

The event, "Diplomatic Dialogue: A Conversation on Ukraine," will feature a discussion between former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine William "Bill" Taylor and UAF Interim Chancellor and former U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Arctic Affairs Mike Sfraga.

Their conversation will include a broad range of topics centered on diplomacy amid conflict, with a focus on Ukraine. They will explore:

• The roots of the war on Ukraine
• U.S. policy toward Ukraine and Russia
• The U.S.-Russia summit in Alaska
• Russian ambitions in Europe
• Prospects for a just peace
• Diplomacy in a new era of great-power competition
• Alaska's unique role in U.S. foreign policy

The event will include time for audience questions.

Taylor served as U.S. ambassador to Ukraine under President George W. Bush and later as chargé d'affaires in Kyiv under President Donald Trump. His decades of experience with NATO and U.S. support to the former Soviet Union give him a broad perspective on the forces shaping Ukraine's future.

Sfraga is a UAF alumnus who served as the first U.S. ambassador-at-large for Arctic affairs. He was twice appointed by President Joe Biden to chair the U.S. Arctic Research Commission and was the founding director of the Polar Institute at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, where he also served as director of the Global Risk and Resilience Program.