"There is no peace process": Expert outlines what the EU must do for Ukraine and itself

There is no real peace process regarding Russia’s war against Ukraine — it is a simulacrum. To protect itself, Europe must step up, increase defense spending, invest in its defense industry to reduce dependence on the US, and arm Ukraine.

This opinion was expressed to TSN.ua by Oleksandr Khara, Executive Director of the Center for Defense Strategies.

The expert explains why, in his view, there is no talk of peace in Ukraine.

“There is no peace process. It’s a simulacrum. Peace is not actually being discussed. Ukraine and our European partners have started playing this game, holding some negotiations solely to keep the US engaged on the European continent, to ensure aid for Ukraine, and to have a certain backup (American guarantees — ed.) if their contingent is deployed on Ukrainian territory. This is related to Articles 5 and 6 of NATO,” Khara explains.

He notes that NATO is essentially the US plus others. The expert clarifies that the Alliance’s command structures, logistics, intelligence, and communications are largely American. Therefore, permission is needed to use NATO structures to ensure the functioning of a European contingent in Ukraine.

Europe must step up

“Europeans have realized that this is not just a war for territory or about Ukraine and its future. It’s about the existence of Europe, the European continent. Therefore, they must step up,” the Director of the Center for Defense Strategies says.

According to him, the next challenge for Europeans is explaining to their citizens why defense spending needs to increase. EU residents will have to tighten their belts and possibly cut back on social programs. The expert notes that this will be painful.

Another issue facing Europe is how to encourage its citizens to be ready to fight for their democracy and freedom.

“This is absent in many societies. I’m not talking about the Baltic states, Northern Europe, Sweden, Finland, or perhaps Norway. Other societies lack this. Germany, for example, faces issues with pacifism and underfunding of defense,” Khara describes.

Europe must invest in its defense industry

The expert insists that Europe should invest in its own defense-industrial complex to reduce dependence on the US.

“Next, they need hardware— they must invest in the defense industry. Europeans need to reduce their reliance on American technologies. The US can halt transfers or sales, or in our case, even the use of already transferred weapons if they believe their interests might be affected,” Khara explains.

According to him, “there is an understanding that the Americans are withdrawing from Europe, effectively leaving it to fend for itself.”

“They have their own problems, primarily China. They are struggling to keep up with China in terms of naval capabilities and other areas,” the expert elaborates.

Arming Ukraine is essential

He emphasizes that Europe must arm Ukraine for its own survival.

“And, of course, to survive, they need to arm themselves. To survive and buy time, they need to arm Ukraine, as we are currently neutralizing the aggressive potential. Even a ceasefire will be a challenge for Europeans. The Russians could provoke a conflict, for example, in the Baltics or against Romania, to undermine NATO’s unity. If NATO’s unity is broken, there will be no need to conquer those territories,” Khara concludes.