Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Ukrainian pleas for military aid, financial support, and eventual membership in the European Union and NATO have often used the language of Europe and of European civilization. In a June 2022 interview with the New York Times, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba emphasized the importance of joining the EU and said he saw the EU as building a “liberal empire” in comparison to Putin’s Russia. In his address to the European Parliament in February of this year, President Volodymyr Zelensky stressed that Ukraine is fighting for the “European way of life,” founded upon “rules, values, equality, and fairness.” This is a powerful idea for Ukrainians, but one that can be off-putting to those with a memory of being Europe’s victims.
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PhD Candidate, University of Pennsylvania
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