Nataliya Butyrska, Associate Senior Fellow at the New Europe Center, took part in the panel discussion “Building Bridges: From Strategic Caution to Long-Term Partnerships”.

The analyst notes that Ukraine’s relations with Central Asia are not yet systematic and remain underdeveloped. Among the reasons are political constraints, security considerations, and the caution of countries in the region, largely shaped by the Russian factor.

At the same time, Nataliya Butyrska believes that the lack of substantive political dialogue should be offset by building ties from the ground up — through people-to-people communication, as well as academic and analytical cooperation.

“In relations with Central Asia, building this foundation at the level of people, experts and analysts, identifying common issues and gradually developing these areas of cooperation will eventually lead to our politicians finding common ground as well,” the analyst noted.

Nataliya Butyrska also highlighted the importance of personal connections. Her own experience studying in South Korea and maintaining communication with students and experts from Central Asia over many years demonstrates that people-to-people contacts can serve as a foundation for much broader and longer-term relations.

According to the analyst, it is also important to realistically assess the potential for political support for Ukraine from Central Asian countries. Their leaders have to take their own geopolitical context into account, so Ukraine should seek formats of engagement that can help deepen support and build relationships for the future.

Expert contacts, knowledge exchange, and public outreach can play an important role in this process. As Nataliya Butyrska notes, despite geographical distance and the lack of systematic ties, she has repeatedly observed significant support for Ukraine among Central Asian societies.

“We have limited knowledge of one another due to geography and perhaps the lack of systematic connections. Nevertheless, I consider it part of my responsibility to engage in this kind of outreach with colleagues from the region so that we can develop the right narrative and identify the right areas of cooperation for our future,” the analyst emphasized.

The discussion took place as part of the forum “Ukraine and Central Asia: Prospects for Sectoral Cooperation Amid Regional Transformations,” organized by the Public Diplomacy Foundation in partnership with the Konstanta R&D Group Center for Geopolitical Studies.

Photo Vitalii Kotsur