TWO YEARS ON: HOW EUROPE AND UKRAINE ARE WORKING TOWARD VICTORY - The Atlantic Council’s Europe Center, Eurasia Center, and Global Energy Center hosted a discussion “Two years on: How Europe and Ukraine are working toward victory.”

With the launch of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Russia brought the largest land war since World War II back to Europe in a revisionist bid to erase Ukraine’s existence, deny Kyiv’s growing democratic alignment with the West, and reorder Europe’s security architecture.

Moscow’s invasion was expected to last days, but Ukrainian resistance and allied resolve ensured its initial failure. Two years on, Ukrainians continue to fight for their country’s survival and its free and independent future. Beyond Ukraine, Russia’s invasion has also rewired strategic thinking in Europe and reinvigorated NATO and Europe’s security initiatives. Many European countries now see it is in their interest to stop Russia in Ukraine to mitigate the threat of further Russian aggression elsewhere in Europe.

In response to Russia’s invasion, Europe and the European Union—in lock step with the United States and partners around the globe—have stepped up. The EU and its members are collectively the largest supporter of Ukraine’s territorial integrity and freedom: Europe has provided Ukraine with over €96 billion of financial, humanitarian, and military aid—including most recently with a €50 billion four-year aid package to Kyiv—welcomed over four million Ukrainian refugees, and supplied Ukraine with over €30 billion in training and military kit. The European Council has also decided to open accession negotiations with Ukraine for membership in the bloc to anchor Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic trajectory and its place in the transatlantic community.

The war continues, however, and support for Ukraine is needed now more than ever. Real questions remain about Europe’s ability to maintain and scale this support, while increasing its own defense capacities. Against this backdrop, Atlantic Council experts unpacked Europe’s response to Russia’s war on Ukraine and the future of Europe’s aid to Ukraine.

ORIGINAL AIRDATE: 2/23/24