As NATO concludes its July meeting in Washington, D.C., focusing on Russia’s war in Ukraine, Western security, and defense spending, the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation is marking National Captive Nations Week with our annual Captive Nations Summit. This summit will be held at the Victims of Communism Museum on Thursday, July 11 from 3:00 – 6:00pm.
This year, as the NATO alliance convenes in Washington, the fate of frontline Europe still hangs in the balance. From the Baltics, to Belarus, Ukraine, and the Caucasus, a new Iron Curtain has emerged as formerly captive nations are standing up to the Kremlin, as Ukraine fights for its very existence. And while NATO was formed as a bulwark against communism in Europe at the onset of the Cold War, the alliance now faces a similar threat. Will the free world continue to stand against the Kremlin’s revanchist aims, or will we once more enter an age of captive nations in Europe?
VOC’s Captive Nations Summit will focus on former captive nations that have joined NATO’s united alliance, Russia’s ongoing aggression toward its neighbors, and the future for a free Ukraine. We aim to continue the conversations from the NATO meeting with two expert panels and a reception. A complimentary ticket to the VOC Museum will be included in each registration, and we encourage visitors to arrive early and explore the galleries.
Welcome Remarks
Dr. Eric Patterson, VOC President and CEO
Panel 1: From Captive Nations to a United Alliance
Amb. Paula J. Dobriansky, Ph.D., VOC Trustee, and Senior Fellow, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard University
Jan Havránek, Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of the Czech Republic
Amb. Aldona Woś, M.D., VOC Trustee, President of the Institute of World Politics, and former U.S. Ambassador to Estonia
The Hon. Bruce Weinrod, VOC Trustee, former Secretary of Defense Representative for Europe, and Defense Advisor to the U.S. Mission to NATO (moderator)
Exclusive Interview
VOC’s Dr. Eric Patterson will interview Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Head of the United Transition Cabinet, and 2020 Belarusian presidential candidate against Alexander Lukashenko
Panel 2: Free Ukraine: Breaking the Kremlin’s Legacy of Oppression
Amb. William B. Taylor, Vice President for Europe & Russia, U.S. Institute of Peace, and former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine
Margus Särglepp, Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of the Republic of Estonia
Sandis Šrāders, Research Fellow and Lecturer in Russian Strategic and Military Studies, Baltic Defense College
David Keene, Editor at Large, The Washington Times (moderator)
