In the latest episode of ECFR podcast “Ukraine Inside Out”, Leonid Litra, Senior Research Fellow at the New Europe Center, Visiting Fellow at ECFR, and Lesia Ogryzko, Director at Sahaidachnyi Security Center, Visiting Fellow at ECFR, speak with Eric Ciaramella, Senior Fellow in the Russia and Eurasia programme at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and Jana Kobzova, Co-Director of ECFR’s European Security programme, about the turbulence surrounding so-called “28-point plan” to end the war in Ukraine.
The guests unpack the intricate balance of power, explore potential avenues to prevent a bad deal, and explain what it all means for the future of Ukraine and Europe.
The conversation highlighted several points:
- The plan treats European security as a business transaction, ignoring strategic realities. It was constructed without serious foreign-policy expertise and resembles a commercial bargain rather than a security framework.
- The plan risks undermining Ukraine and weakening Europe. The guests discuss why the U.S. administration might support an arrangement that undercuts its own long-standing strategic interests.
- The plan could trigger a future war. Limiting Ukraine’s army and stripping defencive belts would invite renewed Russian aggression. Beside, Russia doesn’t need another treaty promising not to invade. It already violates dozens.
- Security guarantees must go beyond declarations. Without NATO membership, credible protection must come through European capabilities, `Coalition of the Willing`, and stronger defence commitments.
Listen the full episode via the link.
