Reflections on Diplomatic Frontlines: Ukraine's Ambassador to the UN Speaks Out

The Delegates Lounge

We’re beginning our second season in conversation with Ukraine’s ambassador to the United Nations, Sergiy Kyslytsya. As listeners will recall, he challenged Russia’s representative to the United Nations during a late-night emergency session of the UN Security Council three years ago, when Russia launched a predawn invasion of his country during the meeting. We sat down with the Distinguished Representative of Ukraine earlier this month at his country’s mission to the United Nations for an exclusive exit interview, as his dramatic tenure at the United Nations is drawing to a close.
Speakers:
J. Alex Tarquinio (host). @alextarquinio of @delegateslounge on X.

H.E. Sergiy Kyslytsya, Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the United Nations (guest). @SergiyKyslytsya of @UKRinUN on X.
References:
The music from this social event that you hear briefly in the podcast was performed by the Ukrainian Chorus Dumka of New York.
https://dumkachorus.org/about
The Ukrainian ambassador challenged the Russian representative when Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began during an emergency session of the UN Security Council.
https://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k1j/k1j8unn1me
During the U.S. Senate confirmation hearing of the UN ambassador designate of the United States, the nominee was asked about the following presidential executive order.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/reevaluating-and-realigning-united-states-foreign-aid/
The exchange can be heard here at the 2:10-minute mark. The hearing discussed humanitarian aid for Ukrainian war refugees at the 2:24-minute mark.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AeL1yQpGidg
The United States is the largest contributor to the UN budget overall and to various UN programs and agencies, which is further explained in this Foreign Policy article by our podcast host.
https://foreignpolicy.com/2025/01/17/un-ambassador-elise-stefanik-hearing-confirmation-trump/
The ambassador gave a lecture at the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics organized by the Center for Russian, East European, & Eurasian Studies.
https://www.kansan.com/news/ku-alum-and-ukraine-u-n-ambassador-returns-to-ku/article_69e0ae9a-a29c-11ef-a028-bbad4cd36edd.html
Some related links to the farewell party for Ukraine’s UN ambassador at the Ukrainian Institute of America.
http://bit.ly/4gcUp3F
https://ukrainianinstitute.org/
https://veselka.com/pages/veselka-the-movie

Chapters

1. Reflections on Diplomatic Frontlines: Ukraine's Ambassador to the UN Speaks Out (00:00:00)

2. Introduction to Sergiy Kyslytsya, Ukraine's UN Ambassador (00:00:40)

3. Career Experiences (00:06:06)

4. Truth and Lies in Dictatorship Diplomacy (00:15:55)

5. Black Sea Grain Deal, Optics in Global South, Multilateralism (00:27:48)

6. Plans for Invasion Anniversary, Security Council Gamesmanship, China's Diplomacy, Consensus Problem (00:33:08)

7. President Zelensky's Ten Point plan, League of Nations, Yalta and US role and Veto power and UN reform. (00:46:45)

8. Trump and the UN budget, Inefficiencies, Trump selects next SG,UN in Ukraine (00:55:05)

9. Personal Thoughts on Return to Kiev (01:05:16)