21/05/2026
Last week, Ukrainian Dialogues hosted the annual CSO Nordic Ukraine Advocacy Summit 2026 in Copenhagen. With the summit now concluded, we look back on its key moments.
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has united civic activists and strengthened civil society networks across the Nordics, driving collective action to support Ukrainian resilience and regional democratic security. Today, as these organisations shape public discourse, advocate for democratic responses, deliver humanitarian assistance, and bring first-hand Ukrainian experience into international discussions, Nordic Ukraine Forum's has become an essential platform for their cooperation and long-term strategic planning.
For Ukrainian Dialogues, hosting NUAS 2026 was both an honour and a responsibility. As a result, the Summit brought together in Copenhagen over 150 participants from Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Ukraine, and reached far outside the meeting rooms, with 20 media publications across 6 countries and international platforms, including Politiken, the Council of Europe, УКРІНФОРМ, and the Ministry of Social Policy, Family and Unity of Ukraine / Міністерство соціальної політики, сім'ї та єдності України.
Important messages were shared by the speakers on May 10, when CSOs' representatives became the voices of the summit. Antonia Golis, Alyona Kashyna, Foss, Vitaliy Zabolotskyy — shared practical tools for cross-border regional initiatives. Yet we also understood that, while we are so similar, we need to put in much more effort to facilitate cooperation and explore new frameworks.
That is why communication with the Nordic Cooperation Secretariat was essential, and Kristina Hafoss’ participation in the Summit proved that we have much to learn from each other. Civil society organisations are part of the civic foundation that has long held Nordic trust together, and supporting their fortitude is also supporting society’s readiness to withstand crises.
And that is why it was crucial to address what stands behind CSOs’ dedication to supporting Ukraine: unjust aggression, the blind spots and weaknesses of international law, dependence on “great” democracies, and Ukraine’s will for freedom and dignity. These shaped the discussions on international accountability for war crimes and hybrid influence from anti-democratic regimes in the Nordic region.
In the panel with Þórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörð Gylfadóttir, Grue Christensen, Schack and Skripnik, moderated by Wind, it became clear that more can — and must — be done to ensure accountability for Russian crimes in Ukraine. As Rasmus Grue Christensen from DIGNITY - Danish Institute Against Torture said, “Peace without justice is not peace. It is only the preparation for the next crime.” And as Matviichuk, Head of the Center for Civil Liberties, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and recent European Order of Merit laureate, reminded us in her special video message, “We must break the circle of impunity.”
In the panel with Michael Jarlner, Salo, Serritzlev underlined that “all actions have a cognitive effect. Whether it is physical sabotage, cyberattacks, or information threats, they serve the same objective: to disrupt and weaken our societies and our cohesion.”
In addition, the Summit coincided with the dates marking the end of World War II, making the parallels with today’s Russian occupation of Ukrainian lands even more visible. As Skripnik reminded us, “between three and five million people remain under occupation and suffer daily from massive human rights violations.”
For us outside Ukraine, this leaves a difficult task: to recognise these threats and respond with action, while continuing to value everyday life and support those who make that life possible, as Ukrainians do.
Therefore, we value and are grateful to our friends, Summit partners, and participants, who have proven that unity is not about sameness, but about a shared goal and constant dialogue. And this dialogue of understanding, where full inclusion leaves no “weak” link, is possible. NUAS 2026 showed once again that support for Ukraine has grown from reaction into a system, from solidarity into responsibility, and from separate efforts into shared cross-border infrastructure.
We are proud that Ukrainian Dialogues could help bring this platform to Copenhagen, and we hope that we were able to add something to its development from our whole hearts, as we are not just discussing tomorrow - we are shaping it.
Photos by Samorodov