The Strategic Autonomy of Europe: An Integrated International Security System Must Replace the Term “Peace,” Which is Vague and Discredited

By Oxana Melnychuk ( Revue Défense Nationale 2024/8 No. 873)

Translated by Mohamed Sakhri

We are witnessing the destruction of the European security system; there is no longer room for the strategic autonomy of Europe, which French President Emmanuel Macron dreams of. The time has come to rethink all existing mechanisms and, in some cases, to completely replace the rusty parts. An international order based on the supremacy of international law, ensuring the sovereignty of states and the inviolability of borders, has shown its effectiveness, but it is weakened by civilizations and states that do not share Western values.

We are facing the defense of a new frontier: that of values. The West must succeed in its ability to defend such an international order and especially these values, which means it must make every possible effort to restore Ukraine’s territorial integrity as its eastern European border and establish an integrated international security system to prevent a deferred war. This is a test of geopolitical subjectivity and the capacity to ensure security on the European continent independently or with European partners. This is where the mediation efforts of the international community should be focused.

The concept of peace is discredited, and this is demonstrated every day for the past two years. It is not an exaggeration to say that the issue of peace is the number one priority on the agenda in every country in the world. However, it is worth emphasizing today that the very idea of “Peace” as a state without war has lost its original meaning and has been completely discredited precisely through international mediation, which I would rather call the discredit of the concept of “Peace.” First of all, the question of peace should not be asked of Ukraine, but of Russia, which can end the war at any moment by withdrawing its troops beyond Ukraine’s internationally recognized borders from 1991. Let us remember that the inviolability of borders and respect for sovereignty were the fundamental principles of the international security system until February 24, 2022.

Today, the old formula of international security no longer exists. This system has been completely destroyed by Russia and its Iranian and Chinese accomplices. This is a harsh reality that must be accepted, integrated, and not hidden behind the illusory peace plans that Ukraine receives almost every day, as if the end of the war depended solely on Ukrainians. It is necessary to stop the aggressor, not the victim. Putting an end to the victim’s resistance will lead to its demise. Stopping the war by Ukraine means ceasing to defend its honor, its sovereignty, and its life. Therefore, let us be frank: the peace plans imposed by various mediators are not designed for a safer future; they are plans for Ukraine’s capitulation, plans for Ukraine’s disappearance, plans to endorse a new world order according to the version and strategies of Russia. This is why Ukraine categorically rejects all these pseudo-projects.

Ukraine has a different proposal. The first observation is simple: after facing on the front lines the second army in the world—then considered as such—following the treacherous invasion of our territory, Ukraine has understood that only strength can stop Russia. It is now established that an international security system is the foundation for establishing lasting peace. Lasting peace is not merely the restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty; it is a series of decisions, measures, and political will without which the end of the current war will be nothing more than a postponed war, a prerequisite for future revenge, a fatal wheel.

How can we create conditions for lasting peace as an international system? The first urgent step is to neutralize Russia. It is currently recognized by the democratic world as a terrorist state. A terrorist is known for violating all existing international treaties on deterrence and security. A terrorist kills, claims the right to use force, the right to geopolitical revenge. The neutralization of such a terrorist should be part of the new international security strategy. Practical experience shows that it is impossible to reach a consensus with those who seek to kill you while you are trying to survive. There are no intersection points for finding a common interest. Therefore, any mediation between the two parties is meaningless, while the consequences in terms of damaging the reputation of mediators can be colossal.

How can we neutralize Russia? It is not enough to defeat it solely on Ukrainian territory. Since this is a hybrid war, meaning multidimensional (economic, food, media, ideological, genocidal, existential, etc.), Russia’s defeat must occur across all dimensions of this hybrid war. Russia must be defeated on all fronts where it displays aggression, including venues such as Belarus, Transnistria, the Caucasus, the Middle East, China, and Africa. Just like in the frozen conflicts throughout the post-Soviet space, not to mention the global economic space and digital networks where it conducts its interference maneuvers against our institutions, our businesses, our democracies.

The total and multidimensional war waged by Russia against the West, which has refused to recognize it for 23 months, has revealed all its weaknesses in the face of external threats as a larger reality looms. The risk of unification of the non-Western world with Russia emphasizes that the strategy of Business as Usual is flawed. It is time to recall the values around which Western civilization and democracy have been built. When the West awakens, returns to a politics of values, and distances itself from a politics of interests, then the West will win and neutralize Russia through the hands of Ukrainians.

Therefore, the only mediator today is the Ukrainian army, which, very slowly, preserves as much as possible the lives of its citizens in the conditions of a hot war and gradually neutralizes the Russian army, whose defeat should lead to the neutralization of Russia.

However, even the defeat of Russia on Ukrainian territory does not mean its neutralization. Such a defeat will not signify the ultimate victory of Ukraine and the West over the Russians and their allies in this global war against the West. Defeating Russia without establishing an integrated international security system would only imply a postponement of the war. A future war would result in even more casualties and further destabilization of the international order.

We need to ask a sharp yet necessary question: “What type of Russia will be acceptable for the modern world to progress toward progressive development without wars or aggression?” In this regard, it is essential to talk about demilitarization, denuclearization, “de-chauvinization,” re-humanization, and democratization. What will become of Russia after its military defeat on the front? Perhaps this is what the mediators should be concerned about today. The good news is that Ukraine also has answers to these questions.

Summary By triggering the war against Ukraine, Russia endangers the peace for all of Europe. There can be no negotiations without a complete overhaul of the international security architecture. This means that Russia must lose its arm-wrestling match with the West if the latter desires true and credible peace.