Aspen Institute Kyiv Holds Second Seminar on “Resilience and Responsibility: Leadership in Wartime”

How can democracy, trust, and a sense of justice be preserved amid growing security challenges? How can we uphold our humanity when war demands difficult, urgent, and responsible decisions?

Aspen Institute Kyiv, in partnership with the law firm MORIS and the 2nd Corps of the National Guard of Ukraine “Khartiia,” held the second edition of the seminar “Resilience and Responsibility: Leadership in Wartime.”

The seminar brought together military personnel, business leaders, civil society representatives, and experts to explore the challenges that war poses to Ukrainian society, the state, and those in positions of leadership.

The seminar focused on four key themes:

• Justice, Security, and Trust — how relations between the state and its citizens are evolving, and what shared responsibility means in wartime.
• Democracy in Wartime — how to address security challenges while upholding democratic principles.
• Dimensions of Leadership — what lessons can be drawn from Ukraine’s experience of war, and what responsibilities this experience places on leaders.
• Ethics in Wartime — how to make decisions in situations where there are no simple or clear-cut answers.

The conversations were moderated by Denys Poltavets, Director of Program Development at Aspen Institute Kyiv, and Oleh Kravchuk, Founder and CEO of NOBR.agency.

The seminar was coordinated by Olena Fomina, Director of Programs at Aspen Institute Kyiv, and Viktoriia Polishchuk, Partner at MORIS.

For Aspen Institute Kyiv, gatherings like this provide an opportunity to bring together people with diverse professional and personal experiences to reflect on questions that require collective consideration. In times of war, open dialogue, mutual trust, and a willingness to listen to different perspectives help preserve shared values and strengthen a sense of responsibility for the future.

We are grateful to MORIS and the 2nd Corps of the National Guard of Ukraine “Khartiia” for their partnership, and to all seminar participants for their openness, thoughtful contributions, and willingness to seek answers to difficult questions together.