Development of Ukrainian-German relations

ESSay contest

The EEYES project is happy to announce the results of the Essay Contest, launched in October 2024 as part of the EEYES:Germany initiative. Students and youngsters from various educational facilities were invited to submit their essays dedicated to the general topic of relations between Ukraine and Germany.

We would like to congratulate the winners on their great success! The winning places have been distributed as follows:

1ST PLACE

MARIA ANDRUSCHKO

“The significance of cultural exchange for strengthening relations between Germany and Ukraine”

3rd year student of the Faculty of International Relations at Ivan Franko National University of Lviv. For over 1.5 years she has been working as a German tutor for children and shares her love for the German language, culture and Germany!

“Germany, as one of the largest investors in Ukraine, uses cultural dialogue to remove barriers to business, which opens up new opportunities for economic projects. For Ukraine, this exchange is an important aspect of European integration, while Ukraine enriches the European cultural space with its experience. Cultural exchange contributes to building stable international relations, which is the key to solving global problems. We, Ukrainians and Germans, have a common future based on cooperation, dialogue and shared dreams of a better Europe.”

2ND PLACE

DMYTRO RYZHAK

“Local elections in Eastern Germany of 2024 and their implications for Ukraine”

He holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in International Relations, Public Communications and Regional Studies from Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, and a master’s degree in Political Science from the University of Bamberg in Germany (2024).

“Today, there are about 1.3 million Ukrainian citizens in Germany who can influence the position of German politicians and the decisions of German voters. It is extremely important to continue organizing public meetings to advocate for support for Ukraine and condemn Russia’s actions. It would also be effective to convince German voters in private conversations. This requires active participation in social life, which will generally improve the position and perception of the Ukrainian community in Germany.”

2ND PLACE

DMYTRO TYMCHENKO

“The impact of the election results in Eastern Germany on national politics. Risks of cooperation and coalition-forming with populist parties for the federal level”

Master’s student majoring in Political Science at Kyiv National University. Interests: electoral geography, elections, behavioral patterns in EU countries.

“The main reason for the rapid development of populism in East Germany is economic inequality and the feeling of alienation and marginalization of the East by the West.
The interaction between eastern-oriented populist forces and traditional parties oriented to the more populous “west” remains problematic.”

3RD PLACE

DIANA KIMAK

"German political landscape 2025: electoral trends, prospects for coalition-building and implications for the support of Ukraine"

3rd year student at Bard College Berlin studying Economics and Political Science. Her main academic interests include geopolitics, behavioral economics, and the impact of regulatory risk on businesses.

“The multi-party system is likely to prevent the AfD from becoming a decisive force in the Bundestag after the 2025 elections due to the Firewall. Although further support for Ukraine depends on the outcome of the 2025 elections, Trump’s course of action will also be an important factor, as Germany is known to closely follow the US support strategy for Ukraine.”