Territory for peace?

• Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies

In this event, experts will debate the implications of 'territory for peace' and the complex definitions of territorial boundaries in shaping potential settlement strategies.

How can the Russia-Ukraine War end? On what territorial terms? Who – and where – has the right to negotiate towards a settlement?

These are high stakes questions that concern not only the future of independent Ukraine, but also European and transatlantic collective security. Ukrainians and Russians have a clear view of what victory should look like: Ukraine wants full territorial sovereignty and independence to choose its future and its allies. Russia fights to end both. What Ukraine’s transatlantic partners want is a less clear and fluctuating strategy to not let Russia achieve a total victory.

How does the ‘territory for peace’ argument shape these discussions? One major challenge in getting the answer to this question right is how different experts choose to define what ‘territory’ and 'territorial sovereignty' is. Strategies of war or peace can differ fundamentally if ‘territory’ is conceived as a physical portion of land with definable borders, as a space to claim militarily to progress towards the next phase of the war, or a political and cultural homeland for millions of Ukrainians.

During this debate, experts will bring together views from political geography, international relations theories and political science to explore the embattled choices that go into crafting an ending to the Russia-Ukraine war.

This event is hybrid. You will receive the Zoom link upon registration.