Ukraine’s Evolving Theory of Victory: Striving to Achieve a Lasting Peace

• In Event: Ukraine's State Resilience: Navigating War, Peace, and Changing International Norms

Abstract

Since the first days of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukraine has stressed that winning the war was the only option to survive as a nation and a state. But what does the victory look like for Ukraine, as its conceptualization has been evolving over the past three years of the war?
This article discusses what elements of such victory are essential for Ukraine’s “formula of peace”, and how some of these elements evolved, while others remained unchanged. It examines the perspectives on what achieving lasting, sustainable, and just peace means for Ukraine’s political leadership, civil society, and the public opinion.
Why the lasting peace in Europe is seen as a “zero-sum game” vis-à-vis Russia’s foreign policy strategy and goals. What essential elements of the post-war settlement make it a building block for the new European and Euro-Atlantic security architecture in the rapidly changing geopolitical environment? Finally, how the debate about the form and substance of security guarantees for Ukraine outside of the currently problematic NATO membership could reinforce or impede Ukraine’s European integration.

Author

• Kateryna Shynkaruk, Texas A&M U