Four Years of War in Ukraine
Sustaining Ukraine under fire requires integrated reconstruction policies
By Yuliia Korotia
As Ukraine enters the fifth year of Russia’s full-scale invasion and faces its harshest winter since 2022, it is forced to confront the severe humanitarian and infrastructural impacts of the war. Russian strikes on energy and civilian infrastructure repeatedly disrupt electricity, heating, water supply, and other basic services, particularly during prolonged winter conditions. The attacks have exacerbated the challenges of daily existence during wartime and contributed to the already significant internal displacement and hardship.
Reconstruction and governance are now integral to Ukraine’s capacity to sustain itself in the face of ongoing military aggression. Under constant attack, energy networks are being repaired repeatedly, often with international financial and technical support. Among the supporters are the EU and multilateral banks, which are helping to protect critical infrastructure and stabilize energy systems. Local authorities and regional administrations play a central role in coordinating repairs and maintaining public services while planning longer‑term reconstruction across sectors including housing and healthcare. Agreements signed by Ukraine’s Ministry for Development of Communities and Territories reflect cooperation on energy efficiency and community rebuilding programs, including support for displaced persons.
Partnerships with European allies have also deepened. Strategic cooperation on energy security with neighboring states such as Poland reflects broader efforts to integrate Ukraine into European economic and energy markets. Coordination with the EU on regulatory alignment, infrastructure standards, and investment frameworks is expanding, while engagement with NATO continues to focus on civilian infrastructure protection and critical services continuity.
Sustaining Ukraine under fire, therefore, requires not only continued humanitarian assistance and defense support, but also integrated reconstruction policies (including ad hoc remedies) that strengthen institutions, attract investment, and expand strategic economic ties. The approach taken by European partners—from financing reconstruction projects to facilitating institutional integration—will shape the effectiveness of these efforts.
Much has changed, but transatlantic cooperation on restoring peace remains the best option
By Philip Bednarczyk
An informal debate among observers in the NATO Parliamentary Assembly the day before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine focused on then-former President Donald Trump’s description of his Russian counterpart as “genius” for his immense military buildup on the Ukrainian border. A colleague defended Trump’s use of the word, while I argued caveats and adjectives were needed before characterizing the Kremlin autocrat that way.
After years of fighting and hundreds of thousands of dead, two developments related to Trump’s perspective stand out. The first is that he has not used all the tools at its disposal to pressure Vladimir Putin to end his war. The previous administration and Congress left the incoming team many diplomatic options for restoring peace, but Trump decided not to use them. Ukrainians were not surprised by this, and so they are left with no choice but continuing the fight, adapting to changing battle conditions, and compromising when necessary. Trump’s policies of not pressuring Moscow and excluding Europeans from negotiations while abruptly, if temporarily, halting aid to Ukraine in summer 2025 and, shortly thereafter, hosting Putin in Alaska have left Europe scrambling to support Kyiv. But that is insufficient, and Ukrainians have consequently devised ways to increase the cost to Russia for its aggression. Europe, for its part, is rearming as the dawn of a new world order may be breaking.
The second development is that a path to transatlantic cooperation on Ukraine and to a sustainable peace exists—despite the White House’s incessant pressuring of allies, ignoring a Congressional majority in favor of supporting Ukraine, and a public berating of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office. Allies in Europe and Asia, Congress, and Kyiv, still hold out a hand of collaboration to Washington, even if they are preparing for a world in which the United States is unreliable.
Much like the war, goodwill is not eternal. Europe and the United States would benefit from working together to reestablish peace and reap the benefits of a victorious Ukraine’s joining the transatlantic community.
The views expressed herein are those solely of the author(s). GMF as an institution does not take positions.