On December 6, the first All-Ukrainian Forum of Conservative Politics “Security. Values. Welfare”
On December 6, Kyiv hosted the All-Ukrainian Forum of Conservative Politics “Security. Values. Welfare” brought together Ukrainian and American leaders to discuss key challenges related to war, values and welfare.
The event was attended by a delegation of more than 20 representatives of leading U.S. think tanks and conservative organizations, including The Heritage Foundation, Defenders of Faith in Ukraine, Family Research Council, and others. Among the participants were Eric Paterson, President and CEO of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation; George Barna, Director of Research at the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University; Kelly E. Curry, Senior Fellow at the Center for Cultural Research at Arizona Christian University; and Curry, Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Freedom and Prosperity Center and Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security; and Jenny Strack, Vice President for Public Engagement and Advocacy at The Heritage Foundation.
The forum brought together representatives of civil society, the military, chaplains, spiritual leaders, politicians, journalists, and businessmen. The key topics were:
The role of faith and values in ensuring national security;
Civic responsibility as the basis of Ukraine’s resilience;
Improving the country’s ability to repel aggression.
The first panel discussion was devoted to values, the role of family, community and church. It was attended by Pavlo Unguryan, coordinator of the Prayer Breakfast Movement of Ukraine, Archpriest Vitaliy Donchak of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, Adrian Bukovynsky, head of the Family Foundation, and others.
“Our task is to create a unifying strategy for civil society,” emphasized Pavlo Unguryan.
He also suggested new formats of cooperation, such as inter-factional associations, Christian movements and spiritual initiatives.
Adrian Bukovynsky focused on the challenges for the family institution in times of war, calling for action to preserve family values.
The second panel discussion, moderated by Ruslan Kukharchuk, focused on the topic “Eastern Citadel of Christianity: How to increase Ukraine’s capacity to fight back.”
The discussion was attended by military officers, politicians, and experts who shared their experience from the frontline and their vision of Ukraine’s development as a state capable of effectively resisting aggression.
Dmytro Kukharchuk, founder and first commander of the 2nd Assault Battalion of the 3rd Assault Brigade, in his short speech noted that Ukraine is currently experiencing the most critical moment since the beginning of the war, and it is necessary to act urgently. In his opinion, it is necessary to restructure the army: to move from the brigade system to the division system. It is important to train high-quality noncommissioned officers and create engineer troops that will build fortifications in accordance with modern warfare conditions. All processes should be as technologically advanced as possible. If this is achieved, it will be possible to overcome the Moscow invasion.
The US return to traditional values will have a global impact. During this visit of the Republicans to Ukraine, they shared their discovery: They found Ukraine to be a country with much more traditional values than many American states. At the same time, little is known about this in the United States, as the media often creates a different image of our country.
Janie Strack of The Heritage Foundation noted that Ukraine is a more traditional country than is often portrayed in the media.
The delegation also took part in the Military Prayer Breakfast at the Kyiv Cave Monastery with the participation of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi.
During the event, the groundwork was laid for joint participation in the “Ukrainian Week” during the annual U.S. Presidential Prayer Breakfast in February 2025. The parties also discussed Ukraine’s economic recovery and the expansion of the U.S.-Ukraine partnership.
The final chord of the event was a joint prayer for the Armed Forces of Ukraine and a just peace, led by Valeriy Antoniuk. Priests of different denominations and chaplains took the stage and united in a common appeal to God. They sincerely prayed for peace, victory over the insidious enemy that seeks to destroy the Ukrainian identity, and for protection and blessings for the people of Ukraine.
