In the bustling mornings of Manila, when traffic subsides and birds sing against the urban din, Ambassador Yuliia Fediv finds her rhythm. A self-proclaimed morning person who’s traded Ukraine’s unpredictable seasons for the Philippines’ steady warmth, she embodies a diplomatic approach as unconventional as her daily soundtrack, “Eye of the Tiger” by Survivor, a nostalgic beat for a young mother and wife who’s not yet in her 40s, yet a choice that speaks to her philosophy of overcoming obstacles through focused determination.
“When you see the purpose and you see the aim, all obstacles are falling apart because you just keep on going,” she explains, her words carrying the weight of someone who has made a career of starting from scratch. This pioneering spirit, which she describes as her “DNA,” shapes her personal approach and more so her vision for 21st-century diplomacy.
The Fabric of Identity
Ambassador Fediv’s diplomatic style is perhaps best expressed through her wardrobe.
Symbolically powerful in all its simplicity. During our Philippine Fashion Week interview, she wore a custom piece by Ukrainian designer Lesia Patoka that served as a wearable manifesto: Ukrainian flag colors, embroidered hands symbolizing unity, and messages of freedom. “It doesn’t matter where you are physically,” she reflects,”but mentally and in your soul, you can bring your country and the piece of your country with you.” Externally, this is fashion. Deeply, it’s cultural armor for a diplomat representing a nation at war. Yet her appreciation for aesthetics extends beyond symbolic gestures. A coffee enthusiast who prefers local Filipino roasters over international chains, she seeks authenticity in the smallest interactions. “When you drink a cup of good coffee made by a Filipino chef, you can feel it,” she observes, revealing a diplomat who values the human touch over corporate efficiency.
Mirror Nations
Five and a half months into her mission, she has developed keen insights into the cultural parallels between her homeland and her host country. Both nations, she notes, share histories of occupation that forged resilient identities. “Ukraine is like the Philippines in Europe, and the Philippines is like Ukraine in Asia,” she explains, recognizing a kinship born from struggle and hard-won freedom. She taught us the Ukrainian word for dignity, “Hidnist” and there was greatness, nobility, and valor the moment it’s spoken. But her most perceptive observation concerns the inverse nature of Ukrainian and Filipino expressions. “We seem to be brave and less calm externally, but we are actually emotional and soft internally. You are vice versa. You seem calm and soft, but actually you are strong and powerful inside” She does understand what lies beneath surface presentations, the deeper cultural truths.The differences she notes are equally telling. Where Ukrainians have lost the ability to celebrate small moments due to war’s constant pressure, Filipinos maintain a culture of festivity that transforms even routine meetings into occasions for connections. “Each day of your life can be the last day,” she reflects, appreciating how Filipinos create joy within ordinary encounters, a practice Ukraine has sacrificed of late.
Creative Survival
Ambassador Fediv’s understanding of creativity transcends appreciation. It is fundamental to human survival and peace.
“Many people create evil because they do not know themselves,” she argues. “Creative industries is a space where you can know yourself. And when you know yourself, you’re okay with yourself and with people around.” This philosophy stems from Ukraine’s historical experience. Under occupation, creativity was forbidden because “it meant being yourself, and you could not be yourself if you are living under occupiers.” Today’s Ukrainian creativity, she suggests, represents centuries of compressed self-expression finally finding voice. “In order to survive, you need to be creative, because when you are not creative, you will live in the box given to you by bigger power.” The notion of creativity as a true soft power has never been more prominent and more urgent.
Reinventing Diplomacy
Traditional diplomacy, the ambassador argues, fails the modern moment. “We are still living through wars and facing autocracies and dictatorships,” she observes. “Diplomacy should be rediscovered, and new innovative ways of making things happen should be invited by newcomers, because otherwise, the world is moving not in the right direction.” Her alternative emphasizes three pillars: creativity in finding new solutions to old problems, emotional intelligence that prioritizes understanding over ego, and a multi-functional approach that sees connections across disciplines.
This philosophy manifests in practical ways. Within months of arriving, she facilitated collaboration between Ukrainian and Philippine fashion weeks, not through lengthy diplomatic protocols but through direct human connection. “It was only one call, one message, and we sat together at the table, ” she recalls, demonstrating diplomacy at the speed of genuine interest.
The Long View
Ambassador Fediv’s mission extends beyond traditional bilateral relations. She envisions creative industries as bridges between nations, recognizing that both Ukraine and the Philippines derive significant GDP from cultural sectors.
The Philippine & Ukrainian Fashion Weeks collaboration embodies this vision through designer residencies where young creatives blend both nations’ aesthetics, and cross-cultural runways featuring Ukrainian models in Filipino designs and vice versa. These aren’t traditional cultural exchanges. They’re laboratories for new forms of national expression, making fashion a tangible diplomatic dialogue.”I believe in people,” she states. “You just need to bring them together.” Her message to Filipinos reflects this: “Look at us not through the lens of war, but through the lens of possibilities.” It’s a request for curiosity over sympathy.
Earlier in the interview, when asked what she wishes the world to know about Ukraine at this time, she reminds us that this is the 21st century, when war is fought differently, and therefore people’s daily lives go on, when industries and economies continue to operate for the greater majority.
Modern Relevance
Though she was schooled all around the best institutions in the world on the disciplines of international diplomacy, Ambassador Fediv’s approach addresses what formal diplomatic training misses: nations are collections of individuals seeking connection and authentic self-expression. Her personal authenticity (from seeing deep into the leadership potentials of women, to preferring local coffee shops, to treasuring both hiking boots and beach sandals depending on the mood, to unembellished interactions as we’ve experienced) humanizes diplomacy beyond protocol. In a world divided by ideology, her proposition remains radical: genuine human connection might still change everything.
A little while later, off-cam, we talked about the delights of ube cake and quite thematically, a shared love for the Netflix film, The Diplomat.
War is transformative. But creativity too, is transformative. In the face of these divergent trajectories, we know the way through. Sometimes the most revolutionary act in diplomacy is simply being authentically human.
Her Excellency, Yuliia Fediv, Ukraine Ambassador to the Philippines.
Look Who’s Reinventing The Runway.
