Quick Impressions: Kyiv, May 2025  

Several SCEEUS colleagues recently travelled to Kyiv. On 7 May, SCEEUS organised the Third Ukraine-Sweden Expert Forum together with Ukrainian Prism, a Ukrainian think tank. The event, which takes place annually, brought together experts and diplomats from the two countries to discuss pressing issues for Ukraine’s security and European future. On 8-9 May, SCEEUS also participated in the Kyiv Security Forum. SCEEUS Director Fredrik Löjdquist spoke on panel which focused on strategic challenges and the importance of political resolve in Europe.  

Photo: SCEEUS

Here are some quick impressions from the trip.   

1.Ukraine is increasingly becoming a security provider – rather than a security consumer 

A ceasefire, let alone a peace deal, seem far away when in Ukraine. Kyiv’s resilient daily life contrasts surreally with ongoing Russian attacks. Ukraine is gearing up for a long fight and its defence sector grows quickly, even though more foreign capital is needed. Smaller coalitions of willing states are emerging as large Western multilateral frameworks struggle. Several Ukrainian counterparts mentioned the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) as a format that Ukraine could make concrete contributions to.  

2.Hungary takes up a lot of political oxygen in Ukraine 

The tense relation between Ukraine and Hungary was palpable in Kyiv. Hungary currently blocks the opening of the First Cluster of Ukraine’s accession negotiations. Ukrainian politicians and civil servants were frustrated, and some worried that political blockages risked undermining domestic support for European integration in the long term. Diplomatic relations between the two countries further worsened after Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) claimed that it had exposed a Hungarian espionage network in Ukraine. 

3.The establishment of a European Think Tank Office is extremely timely     

SCEEUS’s establishment of a European Think Tank Office (ETTO) in Kyiv was welcomed as a unique and timely contribution to Ukraine’s think tank landscape, especially amid the halt of US AID-funded initiatives. ETTO will serve as a central hub for innovative, forward-looking policy analysis on Ukraine’s EU accession and the security context in which it is unfolding. The call for applications to the position of Director for the office is now open.