Europe’s New Security Architecture: Ukraine as a Strategic Pillar of the Continent’s Defence Future

This event will be livestreamed here and on Youtube.

Since Russia’s first invasion of Ukraine in 2014 and its full-scale assault in 2022, the Kremlin has demonstrated that its aggressive ambitions extend far beyond Ukraine’s borders. What Europe faces is not a regional conflict, but a systemic challenge to the continent’s security order. Russia is not simply waging war against Ukraine; it is actively testing the resilience, unity, and political will of Europe as a whole.

What has emerged is, in effect, the “weaponisation of everything”: energy supplies, migration flows, food security and critical infrastructure have all been leveraged as instruments of coercion. These are reinforced by acts of sabotage, cyber operations, espionage, disinformation campaigns, and persistent attempts to interfere in democratic processes and deepen societal divisions. Much of this activity operates in the grey zone – below the threshold of conventional war – leaving European governments navigating ambiguity, often without clear or coordinated response mechanisms.

Europe’s existing security architecture was not designed for this reality. Currently, the transatlantic relationship is entering a period of adjustment. The assumption of an unconditional American security guarantee is no longer a given. This doesn’t diminish the importance of the United States but reframes the relationship. A more balanced partnership – one grounded in shared responsibility – is both necessary and overdue.

This event will launch the Martens Centre’s latest research paper dedicated to Europe’s new security architecture and the central role of Ukraine in it.