German Crisis Management Efforts in the Ukraine–Russia Conflict from Kyiv’s Perspective^†

† This article is an output of the project ‘Germany’s Eastern Challenge and the Russia-Ukraine crisis: A new Ostpolitik in the making?’ of the Institute of International Relations Prague and it was supported from the institutional funding provided by the Government of the Czech Republic.

Abstract

This article analyses the role of Germany in resolving the conflict between Ukraine and Russia from Kyiv’s perspective. After the Russian aggression, Ukrainian decision-makers appeared to be suffering dramatically challenging conditions, no longer able to rely on international law, and with all the multilateral security frameworks invalidated. Germany became a crucial mediator between the Ukrainian and Russian leaderships during the conflict, demonstrating decisive efforts to maintain unity among the European partners in supporting Ukraine after the Russian intervention. Germany sought to defend the normative power of the European Union as an alliance of states based not only on interests but on values. However, there is also a prevailing view in the public discourse about Ukraine which questions whether Germany used its full potential. One may argue that Germany became an occasional leader in Europe and was forced to react to the situation in Ukraine due to obstacles and external conditions, but not with strategic willingness. At the same time, there are enormous expectations in Ukraine with regard to the German role in the transformative processes in Ukraine.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Alyona Getmanchuk, director of the New Europe Center, is an experienced Ukrainian think tank manager and foreign policy analyst. Her previous achievements include her engagement with the Institute of World Policy, where she served as a co-founder and director for eight years. Since 2016 she has been a member of the Ukraine–Poland Presidential Advisory Committee. Her journalistic experience covers almost 15 years of work as an international policy observer and editor. She is an author of numerous articles in Ukrainian and in foreign media outlets (including The New York Times, The International Herald Tribune, Gazeta Wyborcza, Moscow Times), and interviews, including the first and currently the only interview of US president given to a Ukrainian journalist. Alyona has been a contributor to Kyiv’s influential Mirror Weekly newspaper for more than 15 years. She also has a blog on the most popular Ukrainian website ‘Ukrainska Pravda’ which used to be entitled ‘Euroatlanticist diary’.

Sergiy Solodkyy is First Deputy Director of the New Europe Center. He is an expert in foreign policy, international relations, and security. Previously, he worked at the Institute of World Policy (2010–17). He graduated from Westminster University, majoring in International Relations (Chevening Scholarship) and also from the Institute of Journalism at the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. Since 1999 he has served as international news desk editor at leading Ukrainian mass media outlets: ‘The Day,’ ‘Gazeta 24’, and ‘Glavred’.

Notes

† This article is an output of the project ‘Germany’s Eastern Challenge and the Russia-Ukraine crisis: A new Ostpolitik in the making?’ of the Institute of International Relations Prague and it was supported from the institutional funding provided by the Government of the Czech Republic.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Institute of International Relations Prague.