This book is a continuation of the author’s memoirs first published in Ukrainian language in 2017. Here, the narrative unfolds during the challenging transition from the diplomacy of the “phantom state” of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic to the emerging diplomatic service of independent Ukraine. Readers are offered a rare opportunity to engage with uncensored reflections of an eyewitness to these transformative events. But these are more than personal reminiscences. The book contributes to a broader understanding of Ukraine at different points in its history via the author’s analyses of them from the perspective of an insider. In the context of the Russian aggression since 2014, as Ukraine defends its civilizational choice, the book offers an identification, by a seasoned high-ranking Ukrainian diplomat, of the internal and external factors leading to the largest military confrontation in Europe since World War II. This compelling interpretation elevates the book beyond a conventional memoir, making it valuable not only for foreign policy experts but also for the general reader.