Ukraine in 2026: the year of peace?
Ukraine in 2026: the year of peace?
Politics and geopolitics

Thu. February 19, 12:00PM

Ukraine in 2026: the year of peace?

Ukrainian journalist, Toma Istomina, and Belgian reporter, Wilson Fache, weigh chances of a Ukraine–Russia peace deal by 2026.

Ukrainian journalist, Toma Istomina, Belgian reporter, Wilson Fache, and professor Aude Merlin weigh the chances of a Ukraine–Russia peace deal by 2026.


Four years after the start of Russia’s full‑scale invasion, Ukraine remains at war as negotiations resume under U.S. mediation, raising questions about whether a peace deal can be reached before the end of 2026. 


Deputy chief editor of the Kyiv Independent, Toma Istomina, war reporter Wilson Fache, and Russia expert Aude Merlin will examine whether 2026 might finally bring a breakthrough, amid ongoing front‑line fighting, drone strikes, and an energy emergency triggered by Russia’s attacks on infrastructure.

speaker

Toma Istomina

Toma Istomina is the deputy chief editor of the Kyiv Independent, the leading English-language newspaper in Ukraine. She previously worked for the Kyiv Post from 2017-2021, first as a staff writer, later taking editor roles. For co-founding the Kyiv Independent, Toma was selected as one of the Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe in 2022. She holds a master’s in international broadcasting from Taras Shevchenko University.

speaker

Wilson Fache

Wilson Fache is a freelance reporter with ten years of experience covering conflicts. A former correspondent in Iraq (2015-2018) and Palestine (2018-2019), he also covered the Taliban’s return to power in Kabul, the fall of the Assad regime in Syria, and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. His work in the Ukrainian trenches was part of a series of articles that received the Albert Londres Prize, the highest French journalism award.

speaker

Aude Merlin

Aude Merlin is a professor of political science at Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), a member of the Centre d'Etude de la Vie Politique (Cevipol), the cofounder of the Centre de Recherche sur l'Expérience de Guerre (CREG/MSH), and an expert on Russia and the Caucasus. She defended her thesis at Sciences Po Paris in 2006 on identity transformations in the North Caucasus. After working extensively on the Chechen conflict, she now devotes her research to the consequences of war on post-Soviet societies.
Start
Thu. February 19, 12:00PM
End
Thu. February 19, 1:45PM
Format
TheMerode Talks
Language
English (US)
Guest allowed?
Yes, 1 per member

Address

Event
Place Poelaert, 6
1000 Brussels
Belgium
Parking
Parking Poelaert, Place Poelaert 1000 Brussels

Detailed programme

Welcome
Thu. February 19, 12:00PM
Talk and Q&A
Thu. February 19, 12:15PM
Networking and light lunch
Thu. February 19, 1:15PM
End
Thu. February 19, 1:45PM