Expert Panel at Karazin University: International Challenges and Collective Security

On April 3, on the eve of NATO Day, an expert discussion panel titled “International Security Dynamics: Regional Challenges and Collective Defence” was held at V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University, focusing on current challenges in international security.

The discussion brought together representatives of Ukraine’s diplomatic corps, Ukrainian and international scholars, as well as university students. The key speakers included:

• Joseph Dobbs — Head of the Political Section of the NATO Representation to Ukraine;
• Dmytro Ishchenko — PhD in History, Senior Officer of the NATO Section of the NATO and EU Department at the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, Director of the Kyiv School of Diplomatic Arts;
• Dmytro Burtsev — PhD in International Relations, Junior Research Fellow at the A. Yu. Krymskyi Institute of Oriental Studies of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, currently a visiting scholar at the Asia-Pacific Association of Political Studies (Taiwan);
• Oskar Slushchenko — First Secretary for Political Affairs at the Embassy of Ukraine in the Federative Republic of Brazil;
• Luciano Vaz Ferreira — PhD in International Strategic Studies, Professor at the Federal University of Pelotas and the Brazilian Air Force University;
• Volodymyr Khomanets — PhD in Economics, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the Republic of Tunisia and concurrently to the State of Libya;
• Dmytro Deineko — PhD in International Law, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.

The discussion focused on the contemporary security environment and Ukraine’s cooperation with the North Atlantic Alliance amid increasing global risks.

The panel brought together experts from different continents, enabling a comprehensive view of the Russian-Ukrainian war in a global and regional context — from Europe to Southeast Asia, South America, and Africa. The speakers outlined key challenges, including defence coordination, information and psychological operations and cognitive warfare, Ukraine’s role in ensuring global food security supply chains, environmental challenges, strategic communications, and diplomatic response mechanisms. Scholars and students actively contributed to the discussion, adding a dynamic and engaging dimension to the event.

The event was organized by the Education and Research Institute “Karazin Institute of International Relations and Travel Business” at the initiative of the Department of International Relations.

We sincerely thank our distinguished guests for their participation and look forward to welcoming them again to Karazin University!