Long before the current war, Ukraine’s constitution actually enshrined a policy of neutrality, a fact largely forgotten in most mainstream accounts of the conflict’s origins. On this episode of the Kianistan Podcast, host Tafhim Kiani speaks with Dr. Pascal Lottaz, a scholar specializing in the academic field of neutrality studies, about what that history reveals and why it matters.

Dr. Lottaz begins by laying out the conceptual framework of neutrality studies itself, distinguishing between ‘permanent neutrality,’ a durable, constitutionally embedded policy choice like Switzerland’s or Austria’s, and ‘occasional neutrality,’ a more situational stance adopted in a specific conflict. He then applies this framework to Ukraine’s own history, tracing the country’s 1995 constitutional neutrality clause and its eventual abandonment in 2014.

A central and provocative argument in the conversation is Dr. Lottaz’s characterization of former Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych, not as simply ‘pro-Russian,’ the standard framing in most Western coverage, but as a neutralist leader seeking to balance Ukraine’s relations with both Russia and the West, a distinction Dr. Lottaz argues is crucial to understanding the events that followed the 2014 Maidan uprising.

The episode closes on a personal note, as Dr. Lottaz recounts his own experience of being removed from an Austrian defense advisory council, a case study, in his telling, of the broader academic cancel culture facing scholars who challenge dominant geopolitical narratives.

Key Topics Discussed

What Is Neutrality Studies?

Dr. Lottaz introduces the academic field he works within, explaining its core concepts and why neutrality is often overlooked as a serious foreign policy option.

• The distinction between ‘permanent neutrality’ and ‘occasional neutrality’
• Classic examples of permanent neutrality, including Switzerland and Austria
• Why neutrality is frequently misunderstood as passivity rather than an active strategic choice
• How neutrality studies as a field has grown in relevance amid rising great-power competition

Ukraine’s Forgotten Constitutional Neutrality

The conversation turns to the specific history of Ukraine’s own neutrality clause, adopted in 1995 and later abandoned.

• The origins and content of Ukraine’s 1995 constitutional neutrality provision
• How this clause shaped Ukrainian foreign policy debates for nearly two decades
• The gradual erosion of political support for neutrality within Ukraine
• The clause’s formal removal from the constitution in 2014

Yanukovych as a Neutralist, Not a Pro-Russian Leader

Dr. Lottaz presents his central reinterpretation of Viktor Yanukovych’s political project.

• Evidence that Yanukovych sought to balance ties with both the EU and Russia rather than align exclusively with Moscow
• How this neutralist framing differs from the dominant ‘pro-Russian puppet’ narrative
• The political and economic pressures that made this balancing act increasingly difficult
• Why Dr. Lottaz believes this distinction matters for understanding the events of 2013-2014

The 2014 Maidan Uprising and US Involvement

The discussion examines the events surrounding the 2014 Maidan protests and the disputed question of external involvement.

• The sequence of events that led to Yanukovych’s removal from power
• Documented instances of Western, including US, political engagement with opposition figures during the crisis
• How the removal of the neutrality clause fits into the broader realignment that followed
• Competing interpretations of the Maidan uprising’s causes and consequences

Neutrality as a Path Not Taken

Dr. Lottaz reflects on what a sustained Ukrainian neutrality policy might have meant for the country’s subsequent trajectory.

• How permanent neutrality has historically insulated smaller states from great-power conflict
• Whether a neutral Ukraine could have avoided the confrontation that ultimately followed
• The trade-offs and constraints that neutrality would have imposed on Ukrainian sovereignty
• Why this counterfactual remains a contested and politically sensitive question

Academic Cancel Culture and the Costs of Dissent

The episode closes with Dr. Lottaz’s own account of being removed from an Austrian defense advisory council.

• The circumstances surrounding his removal from the advisory role
• How his scholarly work on neutrality was received within Austrian policy circles
• What this experience reveals about pressures facing academics who challenge mainstream geopolitical narratives
• Dr. Lottaz’s reflections on the importance of maintaining space for dissenting scholarship

Major Takeaways

• Neutrality studies distinguishes between ‘permanent neutrality,’ a durable constitutional policy, and ‘occasional neutrality,’ a situational stance.
• Ukraine’s constitution enshrined neutrality from 1995 until the clause was formally removed in 2014.
• Dr. Lottaz argues Viktor Yanukovych is more accurately understood as a neutralist balancing East and West than as simply pro-Russian.
• The 2014 Maidan uprising involved documented Western political engagement with Ukrainian opposition figures.
• A sustained neutrality policy might have offered Ukraine a different, though constrained, path, according to Dr. Lottaz’s analysis.
• Dr. Lottaz’s own removal from an Austrian defense advisory council illustrates broader pressures facing scholars who challenge dominant narratives.

About Dr. Pascal Lottaz

Dr. Pascal Lottaz is a scholar specializing in neutrality studies, an academic field examining the history, theory, and practice of neutral foreign policy across different states and eras. His research focuses on how neutrality functions as a deliberate strategic choice rather than simple passivity.

He has written extensively on the neutrality policies of states including Switzerland, Austria, and Ukraine, and is a prominent voice advocating for greater academic attention to neutrality as a serious framework for understanding contemporary international conflicts.

• Neutrality studies and comparative foreign policy
• Ukraine’s constitutional and political history
• European security policy
• Academic freedom in geopolitical scholarship

About Kianistan Podcast

Kianistan Podcast, hosted by Tafhim Kiani, is a geopolitics interview show dedicated to surfacing historical context and academic scholarship that often gets lost in fast-moving news coverage of major international conflicts.

By bringing on specialists in fields like neutrality studies, the show aims to equip listeners with frameworks for understanding conflicts that go beyond the simplified narratives common in daily headlines.

This episode reflects that commitment, using rigorous academic analysis to revisit the often-overlooked history behind one of the defining conflicts of our time.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between permanent and occasional neutrality?

Permanent neutrality is a durable, often constitutionally embedded policy choice, as seen in Switzerland or Austria, while occasional neutrality is a more situational stance adopted for a specific conflict.

When did Ukraine have a constitutional neutrality clause?

Ukraine’s constitution included a neutrality provision from 1995 until it was formally removed in 2014.

Why does Dr. Lottaz describe Yanukovych as a neutralist rather than pro-Russian?

He points to evidence that Yanukovych sought to balance Ukraine’s relations with both the EU and Russia, rather than aligning exclusively with Moscow, a distinction he argues is crucial to understanding the lead-up to the 2014 crisis.

What happened to Dr. Lottaz on the Austrian defense advisory council?

He was removed from the council, an experience he cites as an example of the broader pressures facing academics whose research challenges dominant geopolitical narratives.

Conclusion

Dr. Pascal Lottaz’s conversation on Kianistan Podcast revisits a piece of Ukraine’s history that rarely makes it into mainstream coverage of the war, offering listeners a fuller, more nuanced picture of the choices that shaped the country’s path.

By grounding the discussion in the academic discipline of neutrality studies, Dr. Lottaz provides a framework that moves beyond simple pro- or anti-Russian labels, encouraging a more careful reading of one of the most consequential conflicts of the past decade.

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