Chełm as a space for dialogue. A Ukrainian-Polish conversation on Europe’s security after the war

On 19 December 2025, the city of Chełm became a meeting point for Ukrainian and Polish students engaged in a shared conversation about the future of Eastern Europe after the Russian-Ukrainian war. It was here that a Ukrainian-Polish student conference on post-war security guarantees took place.

The discussions focused on issues that shape not only today’s political agenda but also the future contours of Europe itself: what the new architecture of European security will look like, what role the United States, NATO and the European Union will play in it, and where Europe’s new political and security border may eventually lie.

A separate part of the debate addressed the role of Poland and Ukraine in this emerging system – not as peripheral actors, but as active contributors to European security. Particular attention was paid to the question of security guarantees for Ukraine, their credibility, their practical implementation and the political will required to make them work.

The conference format combined student presentations with open discussion, allowing participants to compare Ukrainian and Polish perspectives and to identify both differences and common ground. On the Ukrainian side, the conference brought together students from the Institute of International Relations of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv and from Vasyl Stefanyk Precarpathian National University in Ivano-Frankivsk.

For one day, Chełm became more than just a city – it became a space for a necessary European dialogue. And this dialogue is not over – we now look forward to welcoming our Polish partners and friends in Kyiv.