8th May 2017
Stockholm, Sweden
“Yeeeeesssss”! That was my ecstatic 1:30am tweet on seeing Ukrainian entry Jamala win Eurovision 2016. Not only was I delighted for Jamala, but also Ukraine. After 3 years of conflict and crisis, Eurovision now offered Ukraine the opportunity to show another face to a global audience of more than 200 million viewers. For many, Eurovision […]
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11th November 2016
Stockholm, Sweden
A joint blog by British, Canadian and Australian Ambassadors to Ukraine You may wonder why we, the British, Canadian and Australian Ambassadors, as well as people from other Commonwealth nations, wear a poppy flower at this time of the year. First of all, the poppy is the symbol of Remembrance Day which marks the anniversary […]
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25th April 2016
Stockholm, Sweden
“Good evening, there has been no nuclear accident anywhere in Russia today particularly not in Chernobyl. No one is feared dead in the incident, which did not happen The rescue services have not been called out because obviously, that would be stupid considering there isn’t a vast nuclear cloud drifting across Northern Europe. So, no […]
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2nd April 2014
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Heavily armed Russian troops seize Crimea, part of the sovereign territory of Ukraine with a population similar to Latvia and an area larger than Israel. President Putin says Crimea “has always been an inalienable part” of Russian territory; and announces its permanent annexation. How should we respond? I’ve just returned to Istanbul from four weeks […]
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23rd March 2014
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
The Crimean referendum of 16 March falls far below recognised international standards. To begin with, it is unconstitutional. Ukraine’s constitution clearly states that the status of any part of the country’s territory can only be changed as the result of a nationwide referendum. No one objected to the idea of a referendum as such. And […]
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13th March 2014
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Britain’s longest serving Foreign Secretary, Sir Edward Grey, famously looked out from his office overlooking St James’ Park in early August 1914 and, as war loomed, commented “the lamps are going out all over Europe”. I often thought of those words in August 2008, during the Russian aggression in Georgia, not least as my office, as […]
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2nd July 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
I arrived in Kyiv on 14 June 2008 in a rainstorm and saw Paul McCartney perform in Independence Square. I leave today having seen Elton John and Queen on 30 June in Independence Square; and Kyiv throbbing to the excitement of a classic European Championship final between Spain and Italy on 1 July. I’d like […]
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27th June 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
A tall tree shades the audience from the sun. An orchestra and choir wait in silence. A huge derelict building, windows broken and decorated with (fake) radiation warning signs, towers over us. The conductor raises his baton and exquisite baroque music rings out. I am at “Master Klass”, a cultural centre and language school in […]
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19th June 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
The table is set for a banquet. Dozens of glasses are lined up, interspersed with samovars and accordions. Around, in the darkness, thousands of faces look on. But no one will ever eat or drink. I’m in the Remembrance Hall at the Museum of the “Great Patriotic War” in Kyiv. The Museum, located under the […]
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12th June 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
“So, you’re an England fan?” “Yes.” “Where are you from?” “We are Russian.” The presence of significant numbers of Russian fans wearing England team colours and apparently supporting England was one of the more unexpected elements of the visit to Donetsk by our consular team and myself in the run-up of the England’s EURO 2012 […]
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