Zaluzhny says European security depends on Ukraine’s resolve and true partnership

The only way to integrate Ukraine into the European defense system, primarily air and missile defense, is to continue cooperation with NATO and its members that share borders with the Russian Federation or remember the lessons of the past, the Ambassador of Ukraine to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Valeriy Zaluzhny has said.

"This is almost the only way to bypass both political and other blockades within the EU, although such a step carries serious geopolitical risks for member states," Zaluzhny said in an article, titled "How to Avoid War?" commissioned by the Polish security think tank Eastern Flank Institute and published on its website in Polish.

According to Zaluzhny, by 2030 the EU will rely exclusively on NATO and, accordingly, the United States to ensure its own security. The EU will probably increase the share of its own weapons, including those produced jointly with Ukraine, in parallel, but the formation of a new European security architecture is probably not considered a priority until 2030.

"In this regard, in its foreign policy, the EU will focus on preserving the current formula for ensuring its own security, trying first of all to keep the USA at the center of its attention. The inclusion of Ukraine as a full-fledged player in the future European security architecture is not considered either formally or in essence, with the exception of partial use of combat experience and assistance in the war with Russia, in accordance with the strategy of avoiding war by supporting a neighbor who is already at war," the ambassador observed.

In the article, Zaluzhny analyzed the security situation in Europe and gave a recipe for avoiding war, talked about the advantages and disadvantages of the new EU defense strategy, and how to reform the security sector of the European Union. At the same time, according to the ambassador, Ukraine can help EU states improve their defense strategies.

He noted that only one programmatic security document has been developed at the European level - the "Joint White Paper on European Defense - Readiness 2030", published on March 19 of this year, which for the first time focused on the need for Europe's strategic autonomy in the face of growing competition from the United States, contains an action plan and proposes to take a number of measures, with a special emphasis on the European defense industry.

"However, analyzing this document, looking at it from our and European perspectives, it should be noted that the declared distribution of financial resources is clearly not enough to achieve its main goal. Unfortunately, Europe needs both political will and time," he said.

The ambassador also noted that the success of any initiatives will depend on the political will of all 27 member states. "The implementation of the basic principle of a centralized approach to the formation of one's own security under such an assumption is certainly impossible," he stressed.

According to Zaluzhny, Ukraine's experience in waging war indicates that the definition of security and its achievement is based on three stable concepts: political will and readiness to take unpopular measures to ensure security, well-trained and modern armed forces, and the defense industry. He called the problem of previous leaders "postponing unpopular measures in favor of short-term popularity and populist promises." "Of course, in order to accelerate institutional readiness for defense in a democratic society, it is necessary to conduct a dialogue with this society. Who will start this dialogue first - European governments or the Russian army - depends on ourselves and our partners," Zaluzhny said.

He stressed that the EU itself currently lacks clear mechanisms of coercion. "As a result, there are no grounds for the implementation of political will. Therefore, the implementation of the requirements specified in this document (White Paper – IF-U) will be based on "motivation" and "encouragement", without creating a binding mechanism. This, of course, encourages large states such as France, Germany and Italy to further develop national projects. Others will not receive such opportunities. How this will affect the declared capabilities of other national armed forces of EU states is still unknown," Zaluzhny said.

He emphasizes that the White Paper for the period up to 2030 does not provide for the main goal - the creation of joint military structures within the EU and bodies and structures capable of managing them, so Europe's security will practically remain dependent on the US, although the document itself provides ample opportunities for promoting our individual interests.