The Kennan Institute continues to monitor developments in Russia and Ukraine with growing concern.  We wish to express our sincere desire that a peaceful resolution can be found before the situation escalates beyond the control of all parties involved.

Kennan Institute staff and alumni have provided analysis on the events leading up to the current crisis and we are grateful for the contribution they have made to clearer understanding of what is going on.  We further recognize that our alumni in both countries can contribute in a variety of ways to diplomacy, and we want to remind them that the Kennan Institute will help in any way possible to facilitate productive dialogue.

At this moment of great uncertainty and potential danger, we should recall the lessons of history.  One hundred years ago this year, a great world war broke out in Europe, in large part because the parties failed to appreciate that the march to armed conflict, once triggered, can be very difficult to stop.  We must at all costs avoid a repetition of this tragic mistake, and we call on all sides to exercise the greatest caution and restraint. 

Our thoughts and prayers are with Kennan alumni in the region.