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I Traveled to Ukraine as a Journalist — This is What Ukrainians Want You to Know Ahead of Trump Presidency
In early December, I traveled to Ukraine with a group of journalists from Spain, France, Germany, and elsewhere to find out what Ukrainian leadership, decision-makers, journalists, political analysts, and regular Ukrainians want those of us West of their borders in Europe and beyond to know about the country in 2025.
We had frank discussions about peace and war. We challenged and were challenged. We asked tough questions and often received even tougher answers. We were thanked, shown immense gratitude, and grace. City of Yours (“Tvoe Misto”) Media Hub, and our guide, co-founder and CEO Taras Yatsenko, made that trip possible for us. I am very thankful.
So, what is it that Ukraine wants from the EU, its partners, and its other allies? That was the question that brought me to Ukraine. And through the many discussions we had with Ukrainian representatives, it was clear that Ukrainians were less divided than the EU is becoming.
Let me share what I learned in Ukraine.
Day 1 — Our Trip to Lviv
The trip to Ukraine began with a long train trip from Prague’s historic train station to Krakow where I connected with two journalists, one of whom was German and the other Spanish.
Then together we traveled to Przemysl and to the border. As you can imagine going across much of central Europe takes a lot of time. But the journey did not end there. We were picked up at the border by a kind gentleman who drove us to Lviv. We arrived late at night after 11 pm. And all we could think of was getting some sleep.
My first day in Ukraine, in Lviv, began with a breakfast where the journalists — and our host, Taras — were able to get to know each other. We spoke about the typical things one speaks of when being introduced to a country. “What is the emblem of your city?” “Is regionalism, or a type of provincialism, especially pronounced in Lviv?”
Since we were aware of some of the history, it was good to get refreshed over breakfast and coffee. We were also briefed on the itinerary of the day. It was going to be a long day. But that is what we came for. After the day, we had a…
