Ukraine can claim regional leadership - expert

Today, 01:52◉ 02 min readEditorial team “SHCHO STALOSIA”

Ukraine should remain under the "umbrella" of NATO and the EU, which are the most powerful security tools, and at the same time claim regional leadership. — Ukrinform.

Ukraine can claim regional leadership - expert

According to an Ukrinform correspondent, this opinion was expressed by a senior researcher of the Finnish Institute of International Relations Grigory Nizhnikov during the discussion panel of the 5th Belarusian-Ukrainian Ostroh Forum.

“I still believe that despite the tensions in transatlantic relations and other problems in the West… Ukraine should still be under the umbrella of NATO and the EU as long as these two organizations remain the most powerful tools ensuring security, political and economic development, "said Nizhnikov.

At the same time, he predicted that Ukraine could fill the gap in regional leadership that currently exists in Eastern Europe.

In his opinion, this gap needs to be filled, since the part of the region that remains under the influence of Russia can be used by Moscow to wage war against Ukraine and the West.

Details

He also stressed the importance of the normative dimension of regional leadership, in particular the country's ability to offer other states a certain positive idea, and not just to unite them against a common threat.

Context

“I don't see enough leadership from the EU on what it has to offer to the region. Even despite what was done in 2022 – granting candidate status and starting the accession process for Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine, we still do not see a truly holistic strategy on what the EU can offer to the wider region, ”said expert

Nizhnikov noted that in 2022 there was a time when Ukraine emerged as a potential regional leader. At the same time, according to him, this requires both material capabilities and a clear idea that can attract other states.

What's next

"Ukraine should have not only a strong army, but also a strong economy. Both the state and society should be on the same side," the expert stressed.