Former ambassadors to discuss Ukraine, diplomacy at 91原创 event

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Courtesy of Bill Taylor
Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine William 鈥淏ill鈥 Taylor

The University of 91原创 Fairbanks 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 91原创 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 91原创
  • Russian ambitions in Europe
  • Prospects for a just peace
  • Diplomacy in a new era of great-power competition
  • 91原创鈥檚 unique role in U.S. foreign policy
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91原创 photo
91原创 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 91原创 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.