Whither Ukrainian Reform? Assessing the Implications of the Government Shake-up for Kyiv’s Reform Agenda

The severe political crisis in Kyiv has raised fundamental questions in recent weeks about the fate of Ukrainian reform. As prominent reformers exit the government and a new team takes over under the leadership of Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and newly appointed Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman, the country’s Western partners are increasingly anxious about possible backsliding on reform and the return to old patterns.

For the past year, Carnegie’s Ukraine Reform Monitor has kept its finger on the pulse of the country’s dramatic and unprecedented reform effort. Working with an independent team of Ukrainian scholars, Carnegie has produced an important series of assessments on the status of reform in several key sectors, including the economy, politics, and national security.

Carnegie hosted two key members of the Ukraine Reform Monitor team, Mykhailo Minakov and Balázs Jarábik, for a look back at the progress that has been made, and a discussion of the immense challenges Ukraine still faces at this key juncture.

Balázs Jarábik

Balázs Jarábik is a visiting scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He also serves as a project director for Pact, Inc., based in Vilnius, Lithuania.

Mikhail Minakov

Mikhail Minakov is a political philosopher living in Kyiv and Milan. He is an associate professor in the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies at Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.

Andrew Weiss

Andrew Weiss is vice president for studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.