On 25 March, a presentation of the new book by Robert Serry, Chairman of the Board and co-founder of the OpenDoorUkraine.nl foundation, will take place in Amsterdam. The book is titled *Nog is Oekraïne niet verloren*. The title refers to the first line of the Ukrainian national anthem (‘Ukraine has not yet perished…’).
It is an account of the war as seen from within the diplomatic sphere. Robert Serry — former Dutch Ambassador to Ukraine and UN representative — draws on his own experience working in Kyiv and on the international stage. In the book, he traces events from the early years of Ukraine’s independence through the 2014 Maidan protests and beyond — to Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.
At the heart of the narrative are the processes that usually remain behind closed doors: negotiations reaching an impasse, compromises that fail to work, and the gradual realisation that the usual mechanisms of international politics are ceasing to function. The war in Ukraine emerges as part of a broader crisis of European security and the international order.
The text combines the author’s personal recollections with an analytical perspective on events. In this book, Ukraine is not an abstract topic, but a country with which a significant period of his life and work is connected.
The presentation will take place at De Balie (Amsterdam) as part of the public event ‘De toekomst van Oekraïne’. Vita Kovalenko and Bob Deen will join Robert Serri in the discussion. The discussion will focus on the book, as well as the broader context – the current situation in Ukraine, the prospects for ending the war, and future reconstruction. The event begins on 25 March 2026 at 8.00 pm.
You can register for the event via the link: https://debalie.nl/…/de-toekomst-van-oekraine-met…/
The book is published on 24 March 2026 by Uitgeverij Balans and is already available for pre-order. The book is currently being published in Dutch; translations into other languages are expected later. Pre-orders are available via the link: https://www.uitgeverijbalans.nl/robert-serry-in-de-balie/
This book is for those who want to understand what international crises look like from the inside — through the decisions, considerations and constraints that shape their development.
