The Atlantic has long allowed the Azores to imagine themselves as distant from the anxieties of continental conflict. Yet increasingly, global crises arrive not only through armies or borders, but through cables, digital systems, maritime routes, energy infrastructures, and geopolitical realignments stretching silently beneath the ocean itself. It was precisely this broader understanding of vulnerability and sovereignty that emerged during the international conference “Why Ukraine Matters?” recently hosted by the Universidade dos Açores in Ponta Delgada.

The event brought together Maryna Mykhailenko, Ambassador of Ukraine to Portugal, and former Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin, whose remarks moved beyond the battlefield itself to address the future of Europe, democratic resilience, technological warfare, and even the strategic significance of the Azores.

Opening the conference, Susana Mira Leal, rector of the Universidade dos Açores, stressed that the Ukrainian cause transcends borders and highlighted the possibility of deepening cooperation between the Azorean university and Ukrainian academic institutions. She also noted that the university currently hosts seven Ukrainian students.

In emotionally charged remarks, Ambassador Maryna Mykhailenko thanked Portugal for its solidarity since the beginning of the Russian invasion, emphasizing that nearly 60,000 Ukrainians fleeing the war have been welcomed by the country. Speaking before an audience gathered at Amphitheater 8 of the university, the diplomat firmly rejected narratives of Ukrainian defeat.

“Russia is not winning the war, and Ukraine is not losing the war,” she declared.

Four years after the invasion began, the ambassador argued that Ukraine has emerged stronger — largely because of the support provided by international partners. She highlighted the remarkable evolution of Ukraine’s defense industry, which now produces approximately 60 percent of the weaponry used by the country, including artillery systems, military vehicles, and advanced drones.

Particularly striking was her description of Ukraine’s rapid transformation into a global leader in drone technology and military applications of Artificial Intelligence. According to Mykhailenko, 95 percent of the drones currently used by Ukraine are now domestically produced.

Still, she warned that continued international cooperation and financial support remain essential.

The ambassador also recalled the memorandum signed between Portugal and Ukraine during Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro’s visit to Ukraine in December of last year, aimed at strengthening bilateral cooperation in defense production, particularly involving maritime drones.

Yet it was perhaps former Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin who delivered the conference’s most unsettling reflections.

“Diplomacy,” Klimkin stated bluntly, “means speaking with bad men — and there are many of them out there.”

According to the former minister, the world has entered a geopolitical era in which traditional assumptions about rules, stability, and post-Cold War order no longer apply. He argued that authoritarian powers increasingly understand only the language of strength — not solely military force, but political resolve, resilience, and strategic clarity.

For Klimkin, the war has never fundamentally been about NATO alone, nor merely about territory. It is, he insisted, about identity and existence itself.

“For the Russian narrative, Ukraine does not exist. The language does not exist. The history does not exist. But all of that does exist,” he said.

The former minister framed sovereignty not simply as territorial control, but as the freedom of a people to determine their own political future, cultural identity, and civilizational orientation. Ukraine, he argued, seeks not prosperity under subordination, but dignity within a democratic European future.

During his visit to São Miguel Island, Klimkin also directed a pointed warning toward the Azores themselves.

While praising the islands’ beauty, hospitality, and culture, he stressed that the strategic location of the archipelago in the middle of the Atlantic simultaneously represents both privilege and vulnerability. According to Klimkin, the Azores must invest seriously in critical infrastructure tied to defense, security, and resilience.

Drawing from Ukraine’s wartime experience, he warned that modern threats increasingly target infrastructure systems rather than traditional military frontlines.

“There are many bad men capable of reaching sensitive infrastructures and territories,” he cautioned. “It is much easier than many people think.”

His words arrive at a moment when the Azores are themselves increasingly debating their geopolitical role within NATO, transatlantic security, digital connectivity, undersea cables, energy transition, and Atlantic defense corridors.

The visit also carried a deeply spiritual dimension.

Ambassador Mykhailenko visited the Santuário do Senhor Santo Cristo dos Milagres, where she was received by Canon Manuel Carlos Alves. In a moment marked by emotion and prayer, the diplomat reaffirmed Ukraine’s desire for what she described as a “just and lasting peace.”

“The Ukrainian people are deeply religious,” she said. “Prayer has a special meaning for us. Please continue praying for our people. Do not forget us.”

She also acknowledged the spiritual solidarity shown by both Pope Francis and Pope Leo XIV toward Ukraine, emphasizing that the country continues fighting not only for territory, but for freedom, identity, and the right to preserve its way of life.

In the end, the conference revealed something larger than a discussion about war. It exposed the growing realization that islands once perceived as remote are increasingly connected to the central anxieties of the twenty-first century: security, digital infrastructure, democracy, sovereignty, climate resilience, and the fragile architecture of peace itself.

The Azores remain in the middle of the Atlantic. But in geopolitical terms, the middle has once again become the center.

Translated and adapted from a story by journalist José Henrique Andrade for Correio dos Açores- Natalino Viveiros, director