107th Mayor of New York City Rudy Giuliani Gave Public Lecture at the Invitation of the Victor Pinchuk Foundation

On June 7, 2017, Rudy Giuliani, 107th Mayor of New York City, at the invitation of the Victor Pinchuk Foundation, gave a public lecture “Global Challenges, the Role of the US and the Place of Ukraine”. More than 600 Ukrainian students, scholars and opinion-makers were among the listeners of the lecture.

In his remarks Rudy Giuliani told: “You have to have laws that protect people and laws that are applied honestly and without corruption. I would say that Ukraine has unbelievable future: you have got great natural assets, you have wonderful terrifically inventive and hard working people, and now you have freedom - the things you need to be successful. I think what is forcing you back is corruption. It has to be rooted out of your society.” Mr. Giuliani explained that “to have a rule of law means to have honest police, honest prosecutors, honest judges, and honest political leaders.”

Addressing the young people in the audience, Rudy Giuliani said that “just electing people doesn’t make you what we can really consider a democracy. I would call that a false democracy. A real democracy is a country where you elect officials but you also have a rule a law and you also have respect for human rights, for the rights of people and people’s dignity. It is in your hands to do that and it is going to be up to you because you are the next generation.”

Expressing his attitude towards the situation in Ukraine, Rudy Giuliani stated: “I believe that Eastern Ukraine has to be returned to Ukraine and that has to be an objective of not just US but of western foreign policy. The invasion was illegal, the sanctions are in place for that reason, if they have to be strengthened they should be strengthened until you can make an arrangement and return to where you were before. Those borders were guaranteed with several agreements and treaties which were violated.”

“I think Crimea is a violation of basic international law. It was an illegal invasion of a sovereign country that unfortunately happened because the US didn’t respond the way it should. Western Europe was a display of our weakness. Maybe, if we acted right away and very quickly and posed enormously harsh sanctions from the very beginning, maybe we could have reversed it and it wouldn’t have grown to the rest of Eastern Ukraine,” he added.

The discussion was moderated by businessman and philanthropist Victor Pinchuk who invited the future leaders of Ukraine to shape proper messages that Mr. Giuliani would bring to US. Students' questions included cyber security, ecology, leadership, budgeting issues, and his experience of being a Mayor of New York.

At the end of his speech, Rudy Giuliani emphasized that to have goal is the first step to reach it. Thus, he advised the youth to have goals, to be optimistic and brave, work hard, and to develop communication skills.

Besides giving the lecture, Rudy Giuliani met with the President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko, the Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Groysman, the Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko, the Prosecutor General of Ukraine Yuriy Lutsenko, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Pavlo Klimkin as well as young Ukrainian reformers.