Nadia Massih is pleased to welcome Lisa Yasko, Ukrainian MP for Zelensky’s political party “Servant of the People”. Ms Yasko offers a striking portrait of a country caught between diplomacy and survival. Speaking against the backdrop of deepening ties between Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin, China, she argues, remains “on the wrong side of history” so long as it continues trading with Russia, even while Kyiv still hopes Beijing could “play a bigger role” in mediation. On the United States, she acknowledges the “huge” diplomatic efforts undertaken by Donald Trump, while simultaneously lamenting how the wars in the Middle East and tensions involving Iran have displaced Ukraine from the center of Washington’s strategic focus.
