Cultural Diplomacy as a Tool of Ukraine’s Foreign Policy: Institutional Dimension

Abstract

The present paper considers the essential role of cultural diplomacy as a foreign policy vector and discusses its place among the tools of public diplomacy. The emphasis is placed on analysing the potential of cultural diplomacy in the Ukrainian foreign policy activities. In particular, the authors examine institutional aspects of promotion of the Ukrainian culture abroad; special attention is paid to the Ukrainian Institute, established in 2017 under the auspices of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. As for many years there was no comprehensive governmental approach to cultural diplomacy, private initiatives in the field emerged to fill the gap. Having received some support from the Foreign Affairs Ministry and Ukraine’s diplomatic missions, these entities became part of the state’s cultural diplomacy mechanisms.