Iron diplomacy

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The first foreign delegation to Kyiv during the 2022 invasion meeting with Ukrainian leaders in front of the situation room after arriving by rail[a]
US secretary of state Antony Blinken on the train to Kyiv

"Iron diplomacy" (Ukrainian: залізна дипломатія, romanized: zalizna dyplomatiia) refers to the practice of transporting world leaders through Ukraine via rail since the start of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9] The expression was coined by Oleksandr Kamyshin, the head of Ukrainian Railways, because many diplomats were being shuttled by train to and from Kyiv, the capital city, as the use of Ukrainian airspace was impractical due to the invasion.[10][11][9] In addition, the first foreign leaders to visit Kyiv had decided to avoid travelling from Poland to Ukraine via a Polish military jet, in case Russia interpreted it as an escalating move.[12]

Rail system[edit]

External media
Images
image icon A conductor showing the dining car[13]
image icon A well-furnished meeting room[13]
image icon The first foreign delegation in transit[13]
image icon Von der Leyen amongst furnishings[15]
Video
video icon Scholz and Draghi in Macron's room[14]

Since the start of the Russian invasion in 2022, Ukraine's airspace has been closed and its roads have become unreliable due to fighting.[15] As a result, the country has been forced to rely heavily on its rail system for transport, including for humanitarian aid, refugees, weapons, and food for export.[15][10] As the rail system is crucial in Ukraine's resistance to the invasion, Ukrainian Railways has continued to run despite repeated attacks against the system, such as the attack on Kramatorsk station.[10] Security has also increased, and Oleksandr Kamyshin, who runs Ukrainian Railways, is now armed and accompanied by two bodyguards, keeps his schedule and location secret, and avoids physical contact with his family.[10][b]

Diplomats and other world leaders who wish to travel through Ukraine are faced with a similar lack of options, so they regularly take part in Kamyshin's iron diplomacy program.[15] Ukraine also provides a security detail for the visiting leaders, and Kamyshin also keeps their travel details secret, but sometimes information ends up being publicized before the delegation has left Ukraine, which increases the risk of an attack.[15][16]

Carriages[edit]

One of the carriages used in the iron diplomacy program was originally constructed for rich tourists to the Crimean peninsula.[15][13] Completed in 2014, it was used only a few times before Russia annexed the peninsula early that year.[13] Recently modernized carriages from the Soviet era have also been used for the iron diplomacy program.[15] Although much of the furniture is of high quality to allow visiting leaders to travel comfortably, and meeting rooms are generally furnished with nice upholstery, not all the carriages have been given equal treatment.[15] Notably, when French president Emmanuel Macron, German chancellor Olaf Scholz, and Italian prime minister Mario Draghi were travelling together to Kyiv, they were all smiling when discussing the stark differences between the accommodations they were provided.[14]

Notable visits[edit]

Date Travellers Representing To Notes Rf.
2022.03.15 Mateusz Morawiecki, prime minister
Petr Fiala, prime minister
Janez Janša, prime minister
Jarosław Kaczyński, deputy prime minister 		 Poland
 Czechia
 Slovenia
 Poland 		Kyiv
  • First visit by foreign leaders during the invasion
 [12]
[17]
[13]
2022.04.01 Roberta Metsola, parliament president  EU Kyiv
  • First visit by a top EU official during the invasion
  • Trip details withheld for security reasons
  • Kamyshin asserted weeks later that "[a]ll Western leaders ... arrived by train"
  • Metsola addressed the Verkhovna Rada in person
 [9]
[18]
[19]
[20]
2022.04.08 Ursula von der Leyen, commission president
Josep Borrell, foreign affairs representative
Eduard Heger, prime minister 		 EU
 EU
 Slovakia 		Kyiv
[15]
[21]
[22]
[23]
[24]
2022.04.09 Boris Johnson, prime minister  UK Kyiv
[13]
[25]
2022.04.24 Antony Blinken, secretary of state
Lloyd Austin, secretary of defense 		 US Kyiv
  • Visit occurred hours before Krasne railway station was attacked, amongst others
  • Unclear if the secretaries were still in transit at the time of the attacks
 [9]
[26]
2022.04.28 António Guterres, secretary-general  UN Kyiv
  • Visit occurred two days after Guterres held talks with Putin in Moscow
  • Central Kyiv was attacked while Guterres was still in the city
  • Two rockets exploded in the Shevchenkivskyi District, shocking the UN team
 [27]
[28]
[29]
2022.05.08 Justin Trudeau, prime minister
Chrystia Freeland, deputy prime minister
Mélanie Joly, foreign affairs minister[c] 		 Canada Kyiv
[6]
[30]
2022.06.16 Emmanuel Macron, president
Olaf Scholz, chancellor
Mario Draghi, prime minister 		 France
 Germany
 Italy 		Kyiv
  • Macron was assigned a much nicer compartment than Draghi was
  • The leaders announced their support for granting EU candidate status to Ukraine
 [31]
[32]
[14]
2022.06.16 Klaus Iohannis, president  Romania Kyiv
  • Iohannis joined Macron, Scholz, and Draghi in Kyiv but had travelled separately
  • He also announced his support for granting EU candidate status to Ukraine
 [33]
[32]
2022.06.29 Joko Widodo, president  Indonesia Kyiv
  • First visit by the leader of an Asian country during the invasion
  • Visit occurred shortly after Widodo attended the G7 summit in Bavaria
  • Indonesia is scheduled to host the next G20 summit in Bali
 [34]
2022.07.03 Anthony Albanese, prime minister  Australia Kyiv
[35]
[36]
[16]
[37]

See also[edit]

Explanatory notes[edit]

  1. ^ From left to right: Polish deputy prime minister Jarosław Kaczyński, Czech prime minister Petr Fiala, Slovenian prime minister Janez Janša, Polish prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki, Ukrainian prime minister Denys Shmyhal, and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
  2. ^ Kamyshin also carries his son's stuffed owl with him.[10]
  3. ^ Also part of the Canadian delegation were Jody Thomas, national security advisor; Katie Telford, chief of staff; and Brian Clow, deputy chief of staff.[30]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Блінкен та Остін теж їхали до Києва залізницею: фото з вагона". 24tv.ua. Archived from the original on 3 July 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  2. ^ "WAR IN UKRAINE: April 16, 2022". Michaelbociurkiw.com. Archived from the original on 4 July 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  3. ^ "Війна коштує «Укрзалізниці» до 3 млрд грн щомісяця. Як не зупинитись під російськими обстрілами, втративши більше половини доходів. Велике інтервʼю з Олександром Камишіним". Forbes.ua. 10 June 2022. Archived from the original on 3 July 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  4. ^ "Від голови Пентагону до Макрона з Шольцом: світові зірки і політики пересіли на Укрзалізницю". Gazeta.ua. 23 June 2022. Archived from the original on 3 July 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  5. ^ ""Залізна дипломатія". Камишін розповів, як до України привозять іноземних політиків і зірок". Gordonua.com. Archived from the original on 3 July 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  6. ^ a b "Залізна дипломатія: Джастін Трюдо подякував Укрзалізниці у новому відео". Archive.today. Archived from the original on 3 July 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  7. ^ Cumming, Ed (11 April 2022). "The iron will of the railway workers keeping Ukraine running". Telegraph.co.uk. Archived from the original on 3 July 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  8. ^ "Ніч у поїзді: показали фото Драгі, Шольца та Макрона на шляху до Києва". Archive.today. Archived from the original on 3 July 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  9. ^ a b c d "Russia announces expulsion of 40 German diplomats in tit-for-tat move — as it happened". Dw.com. Archived from the original on 3 July 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  10. ^ a b c d e de Vega, Luis (1 June 2022). "Resistance on rails: How Ukraine's biggest employer is keeping the country moving". El País. Archived from the original on 3 July 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  11. ^ "Керівник пасажирського напрямку "Укрзалізниці" про "залізну дипломатію" та роботу перевізника". Тch.ua. 25 April 2022. Archived from the original on 3 July 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  12. ^ a b "Ukraine war: European leaders risk train ride to meet Zelensky". Bbc.com. 16 March 2022. Archived from the original on 3 July 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  13. ^ a b c d e f g "On The VIP Train To Kyiv". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Archived from the original on 3 July 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  14. ^ a b c "Envy on the Kyiv Express: Scholz, Draghi needle Macron over posh cabin". Politico.eu. 16 June 2022. Archived from the original on 3 July 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  15. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Ukraine: Why do world leaders take the night train to Kyiv?". Dw.com. Archived from the original on 3 July 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  16. ^ a b Harris, Rob (3 July 2022). "Albanese visits war-ravaged towns in Ukraine". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 5 July 2022.
  17. ^ Scott McLean; Sarah Sirgany. "Ukraine's rail chief reveals how EU leaders got in and out of Kyiv in 24 hours". Cnn.com. Archived from the original on 3 July 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  18. ^ "Ukraine: EU parliament president visits Kyiv )". Dw.com. Archived from the original on 3 July 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  19. ^ "Metsola: Courage and hope to the people of Ukraine | News | European Parliament". Europarl.europa.eu. 4 January 2022. Archived from the original on 3 July 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  20. ^ Metsola, Roberta (31 March 2022). "On my way to Kyiv. 🇺🇦 На шляху до Києва 🇺🇦 #StandWithUkraine". Twitter. Archived from the original on 31 March 2022.
  21. ^ Cadell, Cate; Demirjian, Karoun; Horton, Alex; Francis, Ellen (1 July 2022). "Kyiv says at least 21 dead in strike near city of Odessa". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2 July 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  22. ^ "Ukraine: EU chief offers Kyiv fast track to membership". Dw.com. Archived from the original on 3 July 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  23. ^ "EU accuses Russia of train attack as von der Leyen, Borrell head to Kyiv". Euractiv.com. 8 April 2022. Archived from the original on 3 July 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  24. ^ "'Your Fight Is Our Fight': Von Der Leyen Assures Kyiv Of Support For Its EU Bid After Touring Bucha". Archive.today. Archived from the original on 3 July 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  25. ^ "Johnson's Kyiv visit achieved little but was a symbolic win for PM and Zelenskiy". The Guardian. 10 April 2022. Archived from the original on 3 July 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  26. ^ Santora, Marc; Ismay, John; Gladstone, Rick (25 April 2022). "What Happened on Day 61 of the War in Ukraine". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 3 July 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  27. ^ "Ukraine: Explosions in central Kyiv amid UN chief's visit — as it happened". Dw.com. Archived from the original on 3 July 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  28. ^ "UN team 'shocked' but 'safe' after strikes hit Kyiv during Guterres visit". France24.com. 28 April 2022. Archived from the original on 3 July 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  29. ^ "'Shockingly close': Russian air attacks hit near UN chief in Kyiv". Aljazeera.com. Archived from the original on 3 July 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  30. ^ a b Simpson, Katie (9 May 2022). "How Justin Trudeau's people arranged his whirlwind visit to a Ukraine at war". CBC News. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  31. ^ "Macron, Scholz and Draghi arrive in Kyiv by train". Lemonde.fr. 16 June 2022. Archived from the original on 3 July 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  32. ^ a b Kramer, Andrew E.; Chubko, Oleksandr (16 June 2022). "Ukraine News: Zelensky Celebrates Support for Kyiv's Path to E.U." The New York Times. Archived from the original on 3 July 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  33. ^ "Romanian president arrives in Kyiv for meeting with Ukraine's Zelenskiy, alongside Macron, Scholz and Draghi". Romania Insider. 16 June 2022. Archived from the original on 3 July 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  34. ^ "Indonesia: Jokowi visits Ukraine and Russia amid global food crisis". Dw.com. Archived from the original on 3 July 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  35. ^ "Australia PM Albanese pledges further military aid on Kyiv visit". Al-Arabiya. AFP. 4 July 2022. Archived from the original on 5 July 2022.
  36. ^ "Anthony Albanese hears tales of fear in Ukraine on surprise Kyiv visit". SBS. Australian Associated Press. 4 July 2022. Archived from the original on 5 July 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  37. ^ "Укрзалізниця повідомила про затримку рейсу в Польщу на 5 годин". NTA (in Ukrainian). 11 July 2022. Archived from the original on 21 July 2022.
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