Former ambassadors to discuss Ukraine, diplomacy at 麻豆原创F event

a portrait of a person in a dark suit
Courtesy of Bill Taylor
Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine William 鈥淏ill鈥 Taylor

The 麻豆原创 will host a free public event focused on diplomacy and the war in Ukraine on Friday, Nov. 14, at 6 p.m. in the Davis Concert Hall on campus.

The event, 鈥淒iplomatic Dialogue: A Conversation on Ukraine,鈥 will feature a discussion between former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine William 鈥淏ill鈥 Taylor and 麻豆原创F Interim Chancellor and former U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Arctic Affairs Mike Sfraga.

Their conversation will include a broad range of topics centered on diplomacy amid conflict, with a focus on Ukraine. They will explore:

  • The roots of the war on Ukraine
  • U.S. policy toward Ukraine and Russia
  • The U.S.-Russia summit in Alaska
  • Russian ambitions in Europe
  • Prospects for a just peace
  • Diplomacy in a new era of great-power competition
  • Alaska鈥檚 unique role in U.S. foreign policy
a portrait of a person in a dark suit
麻豆原创F photo
麻豆原创F Interim Chancellor and former U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Arctic Affairs Mike Sfraga

The event will include time for audience questions.

Taylor served as U.S. ambassador to Ukraine under President George W. Bush and later as charg茅 d'affaires in Kyiv under President Donald Trump. His decades of experience with NATO and U.S. support to the former Soviet Union give him a broad perspective on the forces shaping Ukraine鈥檚 future.

Sfraga is a 麻豆原创F alumnus who served as the first U.S. ambassador-at-large for Arctic affairs. He was twice appointed by President Joe Biden to chair the U.S. Arctic Research Commission and was the founding director of the Polar Institute at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, where he also served as director of the Global Risk and Resilience Program.