Sergiy Solodkyy, Director of the New Europe Center, is an expert in foreign policy, international relations, and security. Previously, he worked at the Institute of World Policy (2010-2017). Solodkyy graduated from the Westminster University majoring in International Relations and also from the Institute of Journalism of the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. Since 1999 he has served as an editor of international news desks at the leading Ukrainian newspapers “The Day”, “Gazeta 24”, and “Glavred”.

His comments and interviews are regularly published in the Ukrainian and foreign media. Solodkyy participated in writing of a number of policy papers and studies on foreign policy issues and regional security.

Research interests: security policy, European and Euro-Atlantic integration of Ukraine, Minsk agreements, Ukraine’s relations with Russia, Germany, Romania and the UK.

Leonid Litra, Senior Research Fellow at the New Europe Center, Visiting Fellow at ECFR, previously worked at the Institute World Policy (2012-2017). He also served as Deputy Director at the Institute for Development and Social Initiatives “Viitorul” in Chisinau (Moldova) where he is now an Associate Fellow. In 2011, he was part of the expert team carrying out the Strategic Conflict Assessment of the Transnistrian conflict for the European Commission.

Leonid has co-authored many publications on democratization of the post-Soviet area, European integration and frozen conflicts. He is also part of the core team for preparing the “European Integration Index for Eastern Partnership Countries” (2011, 2012, 2013, 2014), the Visa Liberalization Index of the Eastern Partnership Countries and a regular reviewer of the Nations in Transit Report on Moldova of the Freedom House and contributor to the Bertelsmann Transformation Index and to the researches for the EU institutions, such as the European Parliament.

Leonid was a Carnegie Research Fellow at Yale University and holds a master’s degree from the European Institute of High International Studies in Nice (France) in International Relations and European Studies.

Research interests: democratization in post-Soviet space, European integration, “frozen conflicts”, Eastern Partnership, Ukraine’s relations with Moldova, Romania, and France.

Kateryna Zarembo, Associated Senior Fellow, the New Europe Center.

She teaches at the Master’s Degree Program “German and European Studies” at the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy. From 2010 to 2017 worked at the Institute of World Politics; she was a Deputy Director at the New Europe Center in 2017-2019.

She got her Ph.D. from the National Institute for Strategic Studies (Kyiv, Ukraine), holds an MA in European Studies from the University College Dublin (Dublin, Ireland) and an MA in English and Italian Languages at the National Taras Shevchenko University (Kyiv, Ukraine). In 2010-2011 she was a Fellow of the Open Society Institute.

Research interests: EU-Ukraine political dialogue, the security sector reform, the security mission of the European Union, Ukraine’s relations with Poland, Italy, and Israel, the settlement of the conflict between Ukraine and Russia.

Nataliya Butyrska, Visiting Senior Fellow, an expert on East Asia.

She is the author of over 100 analytical materials and research papers on international relations, with a special focus on the Asia-Pacific region. She collaborates with publications such as Dzerkalo Tyzhnia, Ukrainian Pravda, and The Week. Additionally, she serves as an expert on various TV and radio channels, including BBC, Kyiv, Pryamyy, Espresso, FreeDom, ICTV, STB, Ukrlive, Belcat, Suspilne, Ukrainian Radio, Radio Hromadske, Radio NV, and Radio Liberty. She is a regular contributor to research conducted by the Observer Research Foundation (India), Prospect Foundation (Taiwan), and COICE (Czech Republic). In 2018, she participated in an expert group at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine tasked with developing Ukraine’s Asian strategy.

Nataliya graduated from the Institute of Journalism at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv in 1999 and later attended The Diplomatic Academy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine in 2017. She pursued studies at Wonkwang University (Iksan, Republic of Korea) and Ajou University (Suwon, Republic of Korea) and completed internships at The Ignacy Jan Paderewski Polish Institute of Diplomacy.

Research interests: international politics, geopolitical issues of the Asia-Pacific region, China’s rise and its global and regional influence, as well as relations between Ukraine and the countries of the Asia-Pacific region.

Kristina Zeleniuk, Associated Fellow at the New Europe Center, foreign policy journalist at ⁦TSN.ua⁩. She has been working as a journalist for over 14 years, including 10 years focused on international affairs.

Since 2019, Zeleniuk has been working for 1+1 Media, reporting mainly on the EU, NATO, Russia, and wars. Even before Russia’s full-scale invasion, she had already begun contributing as an expert to large analytical studies on NATO’s role, the history of wars, post-conflict settlement, and disinformation campaigns. Zeleniuk has successfully implemented numerous projects on these topics. In September 2025, she became an Associated Fellow at the New Europe Center.

Research interests: EU, NATO, the history of wars, post-conflict settlement, disinformation campaigns.

Dmytro Babushko, project manager.

Dmytro’s professional experience includes an internship at the Office of the Vice-Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration.

He studied at Lviv National University and Kyiv Institute of International Relations.

Dmytro will participate in the implementation of important “New Europe” initiatives aimed at the successful movement of Ukraine towards membership in the EU and NATO. Babushko quickly got involved in the intensive work pace of the think tank.

Research interests: international security, European and Euro-Atlantic intergration, Eastern Partnership.

Anton Alimov, project manager.

Anton holds a Master’s degree in European Studies in National University “Kyiv-Mohyla Academy”. His professional experience includes internships at the Delegation of the European Union to Ukraine and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration. Anton became a part of the team in 2024.

He joined the New Europe Center’s projects and prepares analytical materials, thus gaining the necessary experience for further growth as an analyst.

Topics of interest: European integration, EU foreign policy, Ukraine-Japan relations.

Anna Medvedeva, Associated Fellow at the New Europe Center.

She received a degree in Political Communications in Goldsmiths, University of London. She has worked with embassies of Austria, the Netherlands and Germany as a political expert. She ran the Human Rights Fund at the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Anna has experience of working in the non-governmental sector, most notably, in the Czech organization People in Need (human rights and anti-corruption programs) and in the international charitable foundation “IZOLYATSIA. Platform for Cultural Initiatives” (program development and communication policy).

Research interests: peacebuilding process in Donbass, European integration, Ukraine-EU relations, Ukraine-Britain relations.