The Value Dimension of EU Security Policy in the Context of Russia’s Full-scale War against Ukraine

Abstract

The article is devoted to the analysis of the value dimension of European security policy in the context of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine. The paper examines the philosophical, political and legal foundations of the European Union’s common foreign and security policy, as well as their normative consolidation in the fundamental documents of the European Union. The article states that in the 21st century, the EU has come to understand itself not so much as an economic union as a community of values, where democracy, human rights, the rule of law, and peaceful conflict resolution are not only ideals but also normative foundations enshrined in the fundamental documents of the European Union. Under the influence of these values, the EU’s foreign policy strategy is being implemented, the EU’s international identity is being formed, its positioning in global and regional spaces is taking place, and relations with neighboring countries are being built. The confrontation between the liberal-democratic model of the West and the authoritarian-revisionist paradigm of Russia, which rejects the universality of Western values and seeks to restore imperial domination, is at the heart of the analysis.

The article examines the historical preconditions for the formation of European value identity, institutional mechanisms for exporting values and internal contradictions within the EU – from the democratic deficit of supranational EU bodies to differences between liberal and right-wing conservative member states. Particular attention is paid to crisis phenomena associated with the global divide between “democracy” and “autocracy.”

Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine has led to a rethinking of the EU’s security strategy, demonstrating the need to move towards strategic security autonomy, which is impossible without a common security culture among European countries. At present, Ukraine is one of the leading elements of European security, and its struggle has become a symbol of the resilience of the democratic world. The successful integration of Ukraine into the EU will prove that European civilization is capable of preserving and spreading its values even in times of global instability.

The article argues that strengthening European security is impossible without consolidating values and real political will to protect them, and that Ukraine’s victory is a prerequisite for preserving the integrity of the European space.