27/02/2026
At Cafe Kyiv in Berlin, we hosted " : From Reactive Support to Strategic Deterrence" together with Konrad Adenauer Stiftung Ukraine.
Four years into Russia's full-scale war, Europe still lacks a coherent strategy for supporting Ukraine without clarity on what "winning" or "losing" looks like, what it would cost, or what the downstream consequences are.
Our panelists Lesia Orobets and Dr. John Karlsrud (NUPI), moderated by Marcus Welsch, made three things clear:
I. Ukraine's lesson for Europe's defense industry is a way of working: prototype fast, test under real conditions, drop what is not working. Western development and procurement runs on decade-long cycles. Ukraine has to innovate in weeks. European defense systems cannot replicate wartime urgency in peacetime conditions. However, it can build structures designed to shorten decision cycles that prioritize adaptability over long-term fixed specifications.
II. Civil society is a strategic asset, and (Western) Europe has homework to do. Ukrainian NGOs and volunteer networks have consistently outpaced state institutions in identifying needs and delivering solutions and play a crucial role in the defence ecosystem. These structures remain underdeveloped in Europe and need to be actively built up to increase capacities in security and resilience.
III. The costs for reactive support to Ukraine are higher than front-loading costs of a just victory today: NUPI's scenario analysis concludes that a Russian partial win would cost Europe 1.2-1.6 trillion euros over four years. Front-loading support now costs roughly half that.
Find more takeaways and concrete steps to take in 2026 in our event report: https://www.kyiv-dialogue.org/en/news/newsreader/learn2ukraine-from-reactive-support-to-strategic-deterrence-2.html
A great thank you to our panelists for coming to Berlin and sharing their insights, to KAS Kyiv Office for co-hosting, and the Cafe Kyiv team for having us at this incredible event.