Why Ukraine Is a Strategic European and U.S. Ally

We all know why U.S. support for Ukraine is critical in its fight for survival, freedom, and the after-war rebuilding of the country. Not everyone is aware though, why it’s important to support and protect the country from afar, and why the United States and other countries’ backing Ukraine is not an act of charity, but a strategic deed to safeguard global security.

Support for Ukraine is important for preventing an outbreak of a pandemic of military aggression and territorial disputes. Conversely, such threats would be emboldened if Ukraine fails in its battle. This may directly affect the United States, particularly in light of its complex geopolitical relations with China and other players worldwide. Investing in Ukraine’s security means protecting the world against efforts to substitute the rule of law, with the law of rule.

President Trump prominently displays President Reagan’s portrait in the Oval Office, who was one of the strongest opponents of the Soviet Union’s imperialistic nature and the driving force for the United States’ “anti-isolationist,” “peace through strength,” and “Make America Great Again” policies. His support for Ukraine and other nations played an important role in the collapse of the Soviet Union (USSR) and decades of geopolitics free of nuclear war threats. For now, President Trump has all the cards to uphold and reinforce this legacy, strategically looking into the future and back into history.

The Collapse of the USSR

On July 20, 1984, Reagan, with his signature charisma, delivered a powerful speech at the Captive Nations Conference held at the St. George Ukrainian Catholic Church in New York. His message was clear: The United States should support nations oppressed by the USSR, and he hoped that one day Ukrainians and other captive nations would become free.

While he may not have expected to see the liberation of these nations soon, his words have proved to be prophetic. Just over seven years later, in 1991, the Soviet paper tiger collapsed, allowing its former republics to become independent. These countries were finally able to make their own choices but were far from ready to navigate the complexities of self-rule. In the absence of strategic foresight during the early years of independence, key reform opportunities were missed.

Lacking a cohesive leadership with long-term strategies, these countries often found themselves trapped in cycles of instability, swinging between economic recoveries, poverty, and conflicts. Russia, as the biggest and most influential of them, has never fully abandoned its desire to resurrect the Soviet Union, using propaganda, proxies, and military force to maintain its grip on neighboring countries.

The military invasions of Ukraine in 2014 and 2022 represented the culmination of these ambitions and revealed the fragility of all post–Soviet bloc countries, including those, which became NATO members. Just before the invasion, Moscow demanded the rollback of NATO to its configuration as of 1997, meaning that 14 countries, including Poland, Romania, the Czech Republic, and others should fall under the Russian influence once again.

The True Reason for Attacking Ukraine

Let’s be clear, the primary reason for the attack on Ukraine was its decision to cooperate with Western allies without Russia’s or any others’ external approval. This decision is the basic right of any democratic nation, as it reflects the will of the majority of Ukrainian people.

These values, along with Ukraine’s unbroken commitment to defending its independence, even against a more powerful adversary, are the true targets of Russia’s aggression. Moscow sees this as a threat of losing control over other countries in the region, as well as over its own people who are heavily influenced by the propaganda machine.

“Without Ukraine, Russia ceases to be an empire”—former U.S. National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski’s words are still encapsulating the geopolitical reality of the region.

Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom and Commitment to Peace

For centuries, throughout the Soviet Union’s existence and, later its softer analogue, the Commonwealth of Independent States, Ukraine has been a rebel force. Ukrainians have suffered a lot for their will to uphold democratic values. Millions have been killed and deported to distant lands under Stalin’s rule alone. Later, thousands of Ukrainian dissidents were arrested, prosecuted, and murdered by KGB agents. Hundreds of thousands are killed and wounded in the current war. Astonishingly, Ukrainians have managed to preserve their language, culture, and spirit, demonstrating resilience and moral strength.

Despite the struggles, Ukraine had remained a peaceful nation, dedicated to values based on individual freedoms, human dignity, and political pluralism that was demonstrated from the beginning and throughout its regaining of independence in 1991.

In 1994, at the request of the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia, China, France, and other countries, Ukraine agreed to give up its nuclear arsenal. No other nation has undertaken full nuclear disarmament at such a scale that included giving up over 4,000 nuclear warheads and hundreds of intercontinental ballistic missiles. Unfortunately, this became one of the main reasons that allowed Russia to invade Ukraine.

It is worth saying that a comparison between the military aid provided to Ukraine from 2022 to 2025 and the estimated value of the renounced nuclear arsenal suggests a stark contrast. The latter could easily exceed USD 1 trillion.

Another opportunity to protect Ukraine against future military invasions was lost in 2008 when Germany and France blocked the NATO Membership Action Plan for Ukraine, proposed by President George W. Bush.

Meanwhile, Moscow kept applying all means possible to maintain its neocolonial influence within Ukraine. Sponsoring pro-Russian political parties, infiltrating the government with their agents and feeding corruption, building an energy dependency trap, importing media propaganda, and even using the subsidiary of the Moscow Church in Ukraine to implant the pro-Russian agenda into the minds of parishioners.

These shackles of influence were thrown off by most Ukrainian people after the two revolutions that sparked in Ukraine, as efforts to maintain the country’s pro-Western path, in 2004 and 2014. These revolutions have infuriated the Russian leader who was building his own system of controlled democracy, based on propagandist and neo-imperialist principles, the realities of which have been seen in Chechnya, Georgia, Syria, Ukraine, and other countries. The outbreak of his malice is currently being contained by Ukrainian defenders within the war zone, supported by crucial international aid. This partnership must not be dismantled but to evolve instead, for the sake of global peace and stability.

Yet again, recently in Jeddah, Ukrainians have demonstrated their commitment to peace and partnership with international allies. This may be the beginning of the puzzle-solving needed to stop military aggression, but the details of the final arrangement would make the key difference to the longevity of peace.

Bringing an end to hostilities through U.S.-backed strength, followed by rebuilding Ukraine, and engaging EU and UK peacekeepers in the region would be the right solution to end the war.

As many international leaders have said: If Russia stops fighting, then the war will stop; if Ukraine stops fighting, it will be the end of Ukraine and the international rule of law.

Ukraine and Global Risks

Without the historic events in Ukraine in 1991, 1994, 2004, 2014, and 2022 and their preventive effect against expansionistic ambitions, the probability of a war on EU soil would have been far higher. NATO countries could have already been drawn into a direct war with Russia and its authoritarian allies, killing millions and spreading poverty. Skyrocketing military expenses could overshadow the current support for Ukraine many times over to an unpredictable scale in trillions of dollars.

It’s worth saying that hybrid warfare is already taking place throughout Europe. In addition to cyberattacks and disinformation campaigns, most resonate cases include arson attacks on factories and logistic centers in Germany, the United Kingdom, and Poland, sabotage of underwater power cables in the Baltic Sea and north stream pipelines, attempts to assassinate high-level executives, including the CEO of Rheinmetall. The list of incidents is increasing and spreading to other continents including the United States, proving the threatening reality of Moscow’s resurrected ambitions to manipulate the world’s order.

This distractive influence could spread even more rapidly, allowing Russia to focus on deepening its destabilizing cooperation with preferred allies. It is unlikely that they would choose to align with the United States for the long term, regardless of the United States’ current will to mend the relationship. It’s important to remember that authoritarian leaders have little respect for democratic standards and governments, which they see as nonreliable partners due to what they consider short, unstable political cycles of four to eight years.

The post–World War II world order is going through a rapid and dangerous transformation. There is an urgent need to strengthen, possibly through rebuilding, the global political, security, and economic landscapes. The United States, as one of the main architects of the UN, Marshall Plan, NATO, Bretton Woods system, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, and other historic initiatives, can repeat its proven track record and stabilize international balance jointly with its allies. Furthermore, these initiatives established the United States as a global leader in political and economic affairs for generations and continue reinforcing this role even today.

The Future of Cooperation with Ukraine

President Trump’s plan to end the war is an important and noble initiative as long as principles of universal human freedom and prevention of future attacks are at its core.

Ukraine is certainly interested in cooperating with the United States, including sharing the value of its rare earths or other strategic investments on mutually beneficial terms. Cooperation opportunities with Ukraine are vast, specifically due to the need to rebuild the country. Projects in energy, infrastructure, agriculture, military technology, aerospace, and other sectors would bring significant profits to partners from the United States. The Ukrainian talent pool and natural resources combined with U.S. technologies and equity are a win-win scenario for both countries.

But let’s not forget an even more precious asset, deep-rooted commitment to democracy of Ukrainian people, defended relentlessly through the toughest of times. This commitment is worth protecting and cherishing to fortify the bastion of freedom on the European continent.

As Abraham Lincoln once said: “The best way to predict the future is to create it.” However, while jointly shaping the future, we must never prioritize value over values.

Sergiy Tsivkach is an adjunct fellow (non-resident) with the Project on Prosperity and Development at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C.