Real Sovereignty: The Key to Lasting Peace

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Aggression often stems from insecurity, and hatred is almost always reactive. It does not set the rules of the game — it responds to them. To prevent this war from leaving yet another trail of devastation on Ukrainian soil, we must assert true sovereignty.

Stop seeing yourself as Europe’s shield or the spearhead of the collective West. Learn not to react to every Russian action like a bull to a red rag. Recognize that, like the vast majority of European nations, the modern Ukrainian nation was formed within the empire. But this does not mean it can or should be driven back into that fold.

We should focus on building the Ukrainian world, rather than spending our days hunting for and erasing the remnants of the “imperial heritage,” as if in the 18th and 19th centuries the Ukrainian elite did not thrive and make remarkable careers within that very empire. Rewriting history is the fate of the weak and insecure. Let that be Russia’s burden. Its aggression in Ukraine is merely a consequence of the security paranoia that grips the Kremlin.

The key is to convince ourselves and the world that our mission is a flourishing Ukraine, not the destruction of the Russian Federation. An Ukraine that stands as a genuine alternative to the “Russian world,” not merely its Ukrainian-language copy. As Martin Luther once wrote, Diabolos est Simla DEI — “the devil apes God.” Too often, we strive to be “Russia in reverse,” and that has been our tragedy.

Being oneself is difficult. It is a path into the unknown, always a creative effort and a risky experiment. It is far easier to live by the principle: “just don’t be like the Muscovites,” or “simply adopt European norms and rules, and we’ll start living like Europeans.” Yet the same European norms function differently in Ireland and Bulgaria, producing entirely different outcomes. Moreover, rules and models that work effectively in peacetime can prove disastrous amid the bloody grind of war.

That is why I was genuinely pleased to read an article in The Guardian today titled “General, envoy … future Ukraine president? Valerii Zaluzhnyi’s London waiting game.” According to the publication’s sources, Zelenskyy’s most highly rated potential electoral competitor believes that Ukraine should become a “European Israel” — a strong and sovereign state that determines its own destiny and pursues its own interests above all else.

It is also encouraging that Zaluzhnyi understands that the path to true sovereignty runs through “sweat, tears, and toil.” He is aware that the Ukrainian people may not immediately embrace such a choice, that they may not yet be ready for such a difficult course. But, as Hamburg observes, there is no other path to genuine sovereignty. The road to it is always generously watered with sweat, blood, and tears.

Ultimately, Zelenskyy’s central tragedy is that he has never transformed from an actor into the kind of healer that a seriously ill country so urgently needs. He seeks to be liked rather than to cure. He follows public opinion instead of shaping it. Moreover, he still measures success by applause and ratings, not by the bitter pills and complex surgeries that Ukraine’s state and society have long required to become truly strong and sovereign — to ensure that our neighbors never again even consider attacking us.

True sovereignty is the only path to lasting peace. One can only hope that the general understands this and is prepared to treat Ukrainian society and the state for its chronic ailments with a firm hand, should the Lord lead him to the political Olympus, fully aware that the patient is unlikely to applaud him.

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