Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine

Biography

Since August 29, 2019 – People's Deputy of Ukraine of the Verkhovna Rada of the IX convocation, Chairperson of the Committee of the Verkhovna Rada on Ukraine’s Integration into the European Union.

April 16, 2016-August 29, 2019 – Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic integration of Ukraine. In the Government, she worked on topics of European and Euro-Atlantic integration of Ukraine, as well as gender equality issues.

27 November 2014 – 16 April 2016 - People's Deputy of Ukraine of the Verkhovna Rada of the VIII convocation, worked in Parliament as First Deputy Chairman of the Committee of the Verkhovna Rada on Foreign Affairs, headed the Permanent delegation of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, was a member of the Ukrainian side of the Parliamentary Committee of Association between Ukraine and the EU. She also headed the inter-parliamentary group of friends "Ukraine-EU", the group on inter-parliamentary relations with Georgia, and was the First Voce Co-Chair of the group on inter-parliamentary relations with the United States.

From mid-2011 until her election to the Verkhovna Rada, she led the Yalta European strategy (YES), an international network designed to promote the development of fair, democratic and prosperous Ukraine and support the reforms necessary for Ukraine's European integration.

Prior to that, from November 2007, she worked as Deputy Director and Manager for Programs of the International Charity Organization “Open Ukraine Foundation”, and from September 2009 until May 2011, she served as Director of the Foundation. She was engaged in strategic planning and operational implementation of the Fund's programs aimed at supporting international cooperation, public diplomacy, promoting a positive image of the country, and international dialogue on security issues.

From 2002 to 2007, she was a correspondent for the Ukrainian service of BBC Radio in the United States (Washington) and the Caucasus (Tbilisi).

From 2001 to 2002, she served as the Director of the Acting Director of the “Kyiv Center of the East-West Institute”.

Since 1998, she served as the Project Manager at “Kyiv Center of the East-West Institute”.

In 1993, she became a Project Manager at the NGO “Ukrainian Independent Center for Political Studies” in Kyiv. Later, she headed the Center's Department of International Relations.

She is a board member of the Public Organization “Ukrainian Media Center” (“Ukrainian Crisis Media Center”); Alumni of “Aspen-Ukraine” Association; Member of supervisory boards of the NGO “Institute for Economic Research and Policy Consulting” and NGO “Ukrainian Institute of Public Policy”, YES.

Co-author of the book “The Black Sea region: Cooperation and Security building”, published in 2004 by the East-West Institute in New York.
 
Education

In 1998, she earned a master's degree in International relations, a referent-interpreter of the English language of the Institute of International relations of the Kyiv National Taras Shevchenko University (graduated with honors).

Earlier, in 1994, she received a diploma of the specialist (with honors) in "Defectology, oligophrenopedagogy and speech therapy" at the Ukrainian State Pedagogical University named after Dragomanov (now-National Pedagogical Dragomanov University).

During 1993, she studied international relations at the Montana State University (USA), and in 1992 studied the course “History of Ukraine. Ukrainian literature” at the summer school at the Ukrainian Research Institute of Harvard University (USA).

The native language is Ukrainian. He is fluent in Russian and English as well as understands and speaks Polish, Hungarian, and Georgian.

She was born on July 5, 1972 in Kyiv. Married. Has two daughters.