For Ukraine, the event offered a chance to present its experience in a broader context and explain what a just and lasting peace should look like. Alexandra Vacroux spoke at the public discussion Contested Concepts and Diverging Objectives: Civilian Conflict Management and Peacebuilding Today.
She said that russia’s war against Ukraine differs fundamentally from the civil conflicts in whose aftermath civilian peacebuilding and reconciliation practices traditionally developed. When one state launches a full-scale invasion and occupies the territory of another, dialogue between civilians cannot stop the war on its own. Ending it requires bilateral and multilateral political decisions.

Vacroux put particular emphasis on security guarantees: without them, there will be no sustainable peace. Ukraine must be confident in its ability to deter new russian aggression. Security includes military capability and also serves as a necessary condition for full social and economic development.

Daily russian drone and ballistic missile attacks show how this affects ordinary life. Children cannot always study in regular school buildings. Hospitals struggle to operate without interruptions. Businesses weigh risks before investing, and people forced to leave their homes put off returning.

Sustainable peace and security need democratic institutions that function and answer to society. They preserve unity within society, which the country needs to fund its defense and resist aggression for years.
Vacroux’s position: democracy and security depend on each other and must develop in parallel. There is no need to choose between them, because each strengthens the other. Lasting peace and Ukraine’s recovery become possible only when reliable security mechanisms combine with strong democratic institutions.