A strategic discussion on Ukraine – Scandinavia: Bound Through Thirteen Centuries and a presentation of the Norwegian-Swedish Askold and Dir Fund, administered by ISAR Ednannia and funded by Norway and Sweden, recently took place. During the event, writer, poet, essayist, and publicist Oksana Zabuzhko delivered a brilliant speech.
She presented a profound analysis of the current historical moment, emphasizing this turning point for Europe and highlighting the growing role of imagination in times of great change, referring to writers as ‘experts of imagination’ capable of envisioning the future.
Oksana Zabuzhko pointed to a clash of two worlds: the imperial one — embodied by Trump and Putin — and the world of European values, stressing that the imperial approach is inherently anti-European. According to her, Russia’s war against Ukraine is a struggle against this imperial world, which is coming to an end.
In contrast to the imperial model, the project of ‘Mazepa’s Europe’ emerges — one founded on equality and mutual respect. Oksana Zabuzhko noted that Ukraine, once part of the Russian Empire, is now completing this 300-year cycle and has a historic opportunity to realize its vision of ‘Mazepa’s Europe.’
Oksana Zabuzhko’s speech is a call to rethink Ukraine’s role in Europe and to define a future strategy based on European values and equal partnerships.
Do not miss the full version of her speech, which we’ve prepared with English subtitles:
