Aspen Kyiv–UK Leadership Bridge: A New International Leadership Programme Begins
For the first time, Aspen Institute Kyiv and Aspen Institute UK are jointly delivering the Aspen Kyiv–UK Leadership Bridge, a new international leadership programme designed to deepen cooperation between Ukraine and the United Kingdom and bring together leaders from both countries to address shared challenges and shape future solutions.
The programme’s first seminar took place in Cambridge from 21 to 25 June, bringing together 21 leaders from Ukraine and the United Kingdom to explore how democracy, security, and leadership are evolving in a rapidly changing world.
Over four days, participants from the public sector, security and defence, business, media, civil society, and academia discussed the challenges that are already shaping the future of both countries and of Europe as a whole.
“For Aspen Institute Kyiv, this programme continues an ongoing conversation about leadership that today extends far beyond national borders. During this seminar, perhaps more than ever, we felt how profoundly the reality of war shapes the way we think about and understand the present. Participants also looked to history, asking how the past continues to shape our world today and what lessons we need to carry into the future—what we must leave behind, what we need to confront, and what we must build or reimagine,” said Yuliya Tychkivska, Executive Director of Aspen Institute Kyiv.
The programme combined the traditional Aspen seminar format with collaborative project work. Alongside the classical authors that have long been part of Aspen seminars around the world, the reading list also featured Ukrainian voices, including texts by Volodymyr Yermolenko and Ihor Kozlovskyi.
An important element of the programme was the development of joint UK–Ukraine initiatives. Over the coming months, participants will continue refining these ideas and working together on projects aimed at strengthening cooperation between the two countries.
During their visit, participants also attended the Parliamentary Knowledge Foundation Summer Reception, where they had the opportunity to meet Sir Lindsay Hoyle, Speaker of the House of Commons, and Members of Parliament Sir James Cleverly and Sir Chris Law. We are grateful to Jamie Anderson, Chief Executive of the Parliamentary Knowledge Foundation, for the invitation.
The seminar was moderated by Andrii Kulakov, Community Programme Coordinator at Aspen Institute Kyiv, and Ruth Girardet, Lead Moderator at Aspen Institute UK. The programme was coordinated by Olena Fomina, Director of Program Areas at Aspen Institute Kyiv.
The programme will continue with an online seminar in September, followed by a concluding in-person seminar in Ukraine in October.
Our sincere thanks go to our partners at Aspen Institute UK, especially Olly Chapman and Isa Williams, for jointly bringing this programme to life, and to the Aspen Global Fund for its support in creating new opportunities for international dialogue and collaboration.
