Expert Diplomacy in Ukraine: Conceptual Approach and Current Tasks

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.52575/2687-0967-2025-52-4-1007-1017

Keywords:

expert diplomacy, Track Two diplomacy, foreign policy expertise, foreign policy of Ukraine

Abstract

Drawing on a synthesis of key elements from P. Haas’s theory of epistemic communities, G.O’Tuathail’s critical geopolitics, and B. Buzan and O. Wæver’s securitization theory, the author examines the distinctive features of expert diplomacy in Ukraine. The study finds that the country has developed its own unique conceptual approach to this practice. This approach is rooted primarily in the perceived necessity to counter Russia by all available means and is built on principles of network-based organization and the autonomy of foreign policy expertise from the state. Nevertheless, in service to the ruling regime, Ukrainian

experts, think tanks, and other expert organizations contribute to its international outreach and the legitimization of its foreign policy decisions. They also participate in expanding international expert networks and shape the geopolitical picture of the world of young Ukrainian and foreign experts. These findings suggest that Ukraine’s expert diplomacy poses significant threats to Russia – threats that remain understudied. Furthermore, the author demonstrates that expert diplomacy constitutes a distinct form of Track Two diplomacy, representing a set of channels for international political engagement among experts and expert institutions used to advance states’ foreign policy objectives. Consequently, the conflation of expert diplomacy with Track Two diplomacy, which is typical of Russian political science discourse, proves analytically imprecise.

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Author Biography

Oleg V. Onopko, Donetsk State University

Candidate of Sciences in Politics, Senior Research Fellow, Donetsk, Russia

References

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Published

2025-12-30

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Onopko, O. V. (2025). Expert Diplomacy in Ukraine: Conceptual Approach and Current Tasks. Via in Tempore. History and Political Science, 52(4), 1007-1017. https://doi.org/10.52575/2687-0967-2025-52-4-1007-1017

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Topical issues of political science