A Conscious Coalition: Ambassadors for Ukraine
How do you keep the world's attention on a war when fatigue sets in?
That was the question at the heart of a remarkable roundtable on The Lisa Burke Show, bringing together six ambassadors to Luxembourg and Inna Yaremenko, representative in Luxembourg of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights.
My guests were Ambassador Barbara Karpetová of the Czech Republic, Ambassador Carin Lobbezoo of the Netherlands, Ambassador Jean McDonald of Ireland, Ambassador Nieves Blanco of Spain, Ambassador Heike Peitsch of Germany and Ambassador Joanne Oliver of the United Kingdom.
Diplomacy from the inside
Between them they have served in Russia, the Balkans, the Middle East and beyond. They shared rare insight into how diplomacy works behind the scenes, from meetings with Vladimir Putin to witnessing the fall of the Berlin Wall, and why peace negotiations are so complex and so slow. We talked about Russia's long historical patterns, Europe's response to the war, and the particular role women play in diplomacy and peacebuilding.
Turning support into action
The conversation also highlighted the Advocacy Coalition, Defending Our Future Now: a 2026 initiative by LUkraine and European embassies, supported by the European Commission. It includes public events, a digital advocacy platform and the photo exhibition How to Destroy a Country.
What stayed with me was the insistence on action. Solidarity is not a feeling; it is something we do, together, and keep doing. You can find out more at advocacy.lukraine.org.
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