The Pacific Council invites you to a webinar on Thursday, July 16, at 8 am PT to examine the implications of the 2026 NATO Summit in Ankara for Ukraine, featuring two of America's foremost diplomatic voices on the conflict. The discussion will be with Ambassador (ret.) William B. Taylor, a Harvard graduate and Army veteran who devoted much of his career to Ukraine, including serving as U.S. Ambassador from 2006 to 2009. His firsthand experience navigating U.S.-Ukraine policy across multiple administrations makes him uniquely positioned to assess the significance of Ankara's outcomes for Kyiv.

The webinar will be moderated by Ambassador (ret.) Kristina A. Kvien, President and CEO of the Pacific Council on International Policy. Amb. Kvien brings her own exceptional expertise on Ukraine to the conversation: she served as Chargé d'Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv from 2019 to 2022, leading the Embassy's evacuation ahead of Russia's full-scale invasion and overseeing its return in May 2022. A recipient of the Ryan C. Crocker Award for Outstanding Leadership in Expeditionary Diplomacy, Amb. Kvien most recently served as U.S. Ambassador to Armenia before joining the Pacific Council earlier this year.

Together, Ambassadors Taylor and Kvien will examine the Ankara Summit's landmark commitments to Ukraine, including €70 billion in military assistance pledged for 2026 and 2027, more than $50 billion in new Allied defense procurements, and the effort to institutionalize long-term support for Kyiv within the NATO framework.

To register for this webinar, visit the Zoom Registration Page.

Guest Speaker

Ambassador (ret.) William B. Taylor is a distinguished fellow with the Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center. Prior to the Atlantic Council, Taylor was vice president, Europe and Russia, at the US Institute of Peace. From 2006 to 2009, Taylor served as the US ambassador to Ukraine and as the chargé d’affaires ad interim from 2019 to 2020 at the US embassy in Kyiv.

Beyond Ukraine, Taylor served as the special coordinator for Middle East Transitions at the US Department of State from 2011 to 2013, where he oversaw assistance and support to the Middle East during the Arab Spring—including support to Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, and Syria. Prior to his tenure in the Middle East Transitions Team and Kyiv, Taylor served as the US government’s representative to the Mideast Quartet from Jerusalem. From 2004 to 2005, Taylor served in Baghdad as director of the Iraq Reconstruction Office; from 2002 to 2003, he served in Kabul as coordinator of US government and international assistance to Afghanistan; and from 1992 to 2002, he served in Washington as coordinator of US government assistance to former Soviet Union countries and Eastern Europe.

Taylor holds a Bachelor of Science from the US Military Academy in West Point, New York, and a Master of Public Policy from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. Taylor also served as an infantry platoon leader and combat company commander in the US Army in Vietnam and Germany.

Presider

Ambassador (ret.) Kristina A. Kvien assumed the role of President and CEO of Pacific Council in March, 2026.

Previously, she spent over three decades as a Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of State.  She retired as a career member of the Senior Foreign Service with the rank of Minister Counselor. From 2023-2026, she served as the tenth U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Armenia.  From 2019-2022, she served as the Charge d’Affaires at the U.S. Embassy Ukraine, leading the evacuation of the Embassy shortly before Russia’s further invasion in 2022 and return to the Embassy in May 2022. For her work in Ukraine, Ambassador Kvien received the Ryan C. Crocker Award for Outstanding Leadership in Expeditionary Diplomacy.

Ambassador Kvien has dedicated her career to deepening U.S. relations with Europe and Southeast Asia.  She served as Acting Deputy Chief of Mission and Minister Counselor for Economic Affairs at U.S. Embassy Paris; Acting Deputy Chief of Mission and Economic Counselor at U.S. Embassy Bangkok; Economic Counselor at U.S. Embassy London; and Director for European Union, Ukraine, and Belarus Affairs at the National Security Council in the Executive Office of the President. Ambassador Kvien earlier served at U.S. Embassy Moscow; the U.S. Mission to the European Union in Brussels; U.S. Embassy Manila; and Washington DC, where she worked on European Union issues and bilateral relations with Slovenia.

Ambassador Kvien was born and raised in California, with a BA in Political Science from Occidental College and an MS in Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College.  Prior to joining the Foreign Service, she worked in the Sales Presentation Department at the Los Angeles Times.

 

To register for this webinar, visit the Zoom Registration Page.