On Wednesday, May 7, Ukraine’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrii Sybiha officially unveiled a commemorative plaque naming one of the halls of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in honour of the prominent Ukrainian lawyer and diplomat Volodymyr Andriiovych Vasylenko.

The ceremony was attended by Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Iryna Mudra, State Secretary of the MFA Oleksandr Karasevych, the children of Volodymyr Vasylenko, and law students from the Kyiv School of Economics, the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, Yaroslav Mudryi National Law University, as well as participants of the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition.

Andrii Sybiha emphasised the symbolic significance of the newly named Vasylenko Hall, where key events, negotiations, and agreements take place. The Minister underscored that the naming of the hall marks the beginning of a new tradition of honouring great Ukrainians, particularly outstanding Ukrainian diplomats.

“It is a great honour and pleasure for me to unveil this commemorative plaque today. Volodymyr Vasylenko’s expertise has served generations of Ukrainian legal professionals. He also made an invaluable contribution to the legal assessment of the Holodomor as genocide, and we are grateful for that. This reflects his professionalism and principled nature. Volodymyr Andriiovych was a man of unwavering convictions,” the Minister noted.

Addressing the young law students, Andrii Sybiha stated that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is open to talented young legal professionals. He also highlighted the need to develop a Ukrainian school of legal expertise rooted in the legacy of figures such as Volodymyr Vasylenko.

On behalf of the Ministry, Sybiha expressed deep respect for the life, service, and wisdom of Volodymyr Vasylenko — a legacy he passed on to future generations.

Background:

Volodymyr Vasylenko (1937–2023) was an Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine, Doctor of Law, Professor, Honoured Lawyer of Ukraine, and a true patriot. His contributions to the formation of Ukraine’s legal and diplomatic tradition are profound and foundational. Long before Ukraine’s independence, starting in 1972, Vasylenko served as a legal advisor to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In 1990, he drafted the first version of the Declaration of State Sovereignty of Ukraine. His work laid the legal foundations for Ukrainian statehood, diplomacy, and the advancement of international law scholarship in Ukraine.