The 30th anniversary Carpathian Youth Scientific Forum, titled “Transatlantic Relations at the Crossroads: Contemporary Relations between Europe and the United States of America,” was held online. This year, the forum brought together participants from Ukraine, Poland, Turkey, Ireland, and the United States, becoming another important space for international academic dialogue on contemporary transatlantic relations, security challenges, and Ukraine’s role in shaping a new European security architecture.
The initiator and permanent head of this scientific platform, which has been uniting young researchers from Ukraine and abroad since 2013, is the Dean of the Faculty of History, Political Science and International Relations, Professor Ihor Hurak of the Department of International Relations. The event was co-organised by the Centre for Eastern European Studies of the University of Warsaw (Republic of Poland), Karabuk University (Turkey), the University of the National Education Commission in Krakow (Republic of Poland), and the University of Wroclaw (Republic of Poland). On the part of the Vasyl Stefanyk Carpathian National University, the Department of International Relations, the Department of Foreign Languages and Translation, the Centre “Young Diplomacy” and the Educational and Scientific Centre for the Study of Central and Eastern Europe participated in the organisation of the event.
Ihor Hurak, representative of the University of Karabuk, Julia Biletska, representative of the University of National Education in Krakow, Malgorzata Kużbieda, deputy director of the Centre for East European Studies of the University of Warsaw, Hubert Lashkevych, and Liliya Turovska, vice-rector for scientific and pedagogical work and international activities of the Carpathian National University, addressed the forum participants with welcoming words on behalf of the organising universities. In their speeches, they emphasised the importance of international academic cooperation, the role of young researchers in shaping modern scientific discourse, and the particular relevance of understanding transatlantic relations amid profound geopolitical transformations.
Iryna Tymkiv, Orest Boychuk, and Svitlana Kobuta moderated the forum panels.
The keynote speakers attracted the particular attention of the participants of the scientific platform. Professor John O’Brennan (Maynooth University, Ireland) shared his vision for transforming the European security system and the future of transatlantic relations, emphasising that Europe is currently at a stage of restoring and reconstructing its own defence system. The speaker paid close attention to the process of strengthening European defence autonomy and to the changing role of the United States in its interactions with European allies.
Professor Volodymyr Dubovyk (Centre for European Policy Analysis) analysed the current state of relations between Europe and the United States, as well as key challenges for NATO. His speech focused on Russian aggression against Ukraine, internal discussions within the Alliance, and new challenges for the Euro-Atlantic partnership.
Along with participants from universities in Poland and Turkey, postgraduate students of the Faculty of History, Political Science and International Relations, Natalia Pitey and Oleg Kryl, presented in-depth reports. Natalia Pitey presented a study dedicated to the key ideologues of Donald Trump’s second administration and their influence on the European policy of the 47th US President. The focus was on various influence groups around Donald Trump – from economic nationalists to representatives of the technological elite – and their influence on the US foreign policy and the prospects for interaction with the European Union.
Oleg Kril, in his speech, analysed the concept of “peace through strength” in the context of the transformation of American strategy towards Ukraine under the second administration of Donald Trump. The report outlined the diplomatic, economic, and military instruments of modern American policy. It emphasised the need for Ukraine to strengthen its self-sufficiency and deepen its integration into the European defence sector.
The forum participants were particularly interested in Irina Tkeshelashvili’s speech during the discussion, a representative of the Polish Society for European Studies in Opole and the Europe Direct team at the European Commission in Poland. She focused on information security and countering disinformation. The speaker shared the Polish experience of institutional support for media projects and emphasised the importance of personal responsibility and the development of critical thinking as components of social sustainability.
The 30th Carpathian Youth Scientific Forum once again confirmed its important role as an international platform for academic dialogue, support for young researchers, and joint understanding of key challenges of modern international politics.