How Ukrainian “Soft Power” Works: DNU Academic Community Discusses Initiatives of the Global Platform of the First Ladies and Gentlemen Summit

On May 19, an online lecture on the latest tools of international communication gathered almost 140 participants at Oles Honchar Dnipro National University. The main audience of the event was students and teachers of the Faculty of Mass Communication Systems and Media, who were actively joined by colleagues from the Faculty of Social Sciences and International Relations. The topic of the meeting – “Public Diplomacy as Power. How Ukraine Changed Its Role on the World Stage. Practical Cases” – turned the online platform into a space for a live exchange of experience around the most relevant topics of the modern geopolitical and media space.

The meeting was implemented within the framework of a joint long-term educational initiative of the Global Platform of the First Ladies and Gentlemen Summit and the Activitis Education educational center. The speaker was Oleksandra Batіy, the head of the platform that directly coordinates international communication campaigns and promotes Ukraine’s “soft power” tools abroad. The lecture, aimed at future international specialists, political scientists, journalists, advertisers, and PR professionals, demonstrated the importance of an interdisciplinary approach. Such synergy is key to building a holistic system for protecting national interests in the information sphere.

During her speech, Oleksandra Batіy explained how public diplomacy has become the foundation of Ukraine’s “soft power.” Unlike military or economic pressure (“hard power”), this tool works through dialogue with foreign publics, opinion leaders, and academic communities. Its main goal is to form a positive image of the state, promote national values, and protect Ukraine's interests in the information space using such tools.

The speaker clearly demonstrated how in recent years Ukraine has radically changed its role on the world stage – from a country in need of support to an active contributor to global security and initiator of humanitarian trends. Thus, the Third Summit (2023), initiated by Olena Zelenska, actualized the breakthrough topic of mental health for the whole world. The event brought together 29 first ladies and gentlemen. The main practical result was the creation of a network of international medical partnerships: the number of agreements between Ukrainian and foreign clinics has already exceeded 100. As confirmation of the success of this strategy, in December 2025 the platform received the prestigious award “Honorary Ambassador of Ukraine 2025”.

The second illustrative case was the World Exhibition EXPO in Osaka (Japan). The presentation of the Ukrainian pavilion among 160 other countries opened a unique opportunity to declare Ukraine as a state of the future. The focus on innovation, digital services, and environmental solutions attracted the attention of millions of foreigners and clearly demonstrated the creative potential of the nation despite all the challenges of war.

Інформаційно-аналітичне агентство
Дніпровського національного університету