This panel will address the growing impediments to humanitarian access in Eastern Ukraine along the “Line of Contact.” Five years after the illegal annexation of Crimea and Russian military incursion in Donbas, the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Ukraine has fallen off the Washington policy radar screen despite the fact that the number of ceasefire violations and impediments to humanitarian access have dramatically increased. With a new Ukrainian president and newly-elected Rada (the Ukrainian parliament), now is the time to raise the profile of this important issue in Washington to improve humanitarian access to those in greatest need. The panel will focus on current challenges, on factors that have deteriorated the conditions on the ground since the beginning of 2019, and new diplomatic and assistance opportunities that could minimize access impediments.
Heather A. Conley, Senior Vice President for Europe, Eurasia, and the Arctic; and Director, Europe Program