The Weiser Center for Europe and Eurasia at the University of Michigan is pleased to host Pavlo Kukhta for a public lecture entitled “Ukraine’s Political-Economic Landscape and its Place in Europe.” Kukhta is an advisor to Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister of Reconstruction and served in 2019-20 as Ukraine’s Acting Minister of Economic Development, Trade, and Agriculture. The lecture will be on Wednesday, January 24, 2024 from 5:00-6:30 PM in 1010 Weiser Hall, 500 Church Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109. Additional support comes from the U-M Ford School for Public Policy and the Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies. The event is free and open to the public.
As Ukraine reaches the second anniversary of the full-scale Russian invasion, questions about the war’s trajectory and, consequently, the fate of the Ukrainian nation, weigh heavily on the world's most influential leaders. What happens to Ukraine will impact not just the country and its immediate neighbors, but the whole of Europe and beyond. Drawing on insights from his career in Ukrainian policymaking, Pavlo Kukhta will address Ukraine’s critical role in world affairs, the political-economic forces that shaped modern Ukraine, and the future of Ukraine in Europe.
“It is an honor to have Pavlo Kukhta visit U-M to share his firsthand experience of working in the Ukrainian government before and after the full-scale Russian invasion,” shares WCEE Director Geneviève Zubrzycki, William H. Sewell Jr. Collegiate Professor of Sociology. “Our students will benefit from hearing his perspective as they prepare for careers in policymaking or continue scholarly research on political and economic policy.”
Since April 2023, Pavlo Kukhta has served as advisor to Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister of Reconstruction. In this role, he assists in structuring reconstruction policies to maximize their economic impact and attracts investors to support Ukraine’s recovery. He previously served as Ukraine’s Acting Minister of Economic Development, Trade, and Agriculture (2019-20), where he oversaw public sector enterprises and the ministry’s operational management, and launched a large privatization program. Kukhta worked as Chief Policy Officer at the Kyiv School of Economics from 2020-22, where he coordinated economic policy projects and led communication efforts with policymakers, the media, and the general public. From 2016 to 2019, Kukhta served as Deputy Chairman of the Strategic Advisory Group for Support of Ukraine Reforms (SAGSUR) for Ukraine’s Cabinet of Ministers. Here, he helped define the economic reforms agenda and priorities for the Prime Minister and Cabinet of Ministers, including in the spheres of energy policy and corporate governance.
Contact: Małgorzata Kowalczyk | [email protected]
The Weiser Center for Europe and Eurasia (WCEE) supports faculty and student research, teaching, collaboration, and public engagement in studying the institutions, cultures, and histories of these regions. WCEE is comprised of the Center for European Studies (CES); Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies (CREES); and Copernicus Center for Polish Studies (CCPS); and is housed at the University of Michigan International Institute. For more information, visit ii.umich.edu/wcee.
