How the war in Ukraine has transformed the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy

Abstract Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022 marked a critical turning point in European security, reintroducing high-intensity land warfare and dismantling the illusion of perpetual peace. The European Union’s (EU) Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), conceived in the post-Cold War era during a period of relative stability, has struggled to meet the demands of a rapidly evolving wartime environment. As a result, the war in Ukraine has forced the EU and its Member States into uncharted territory in foreign, security, and defence policy. The EU has provided substantial support to Ukraine and taken significant steps to bolster its defence capabilities, demonstrating the CFSP’s capacity to adapt under pressure. The EU has overhauled its strategies, launched new missions, expanded its defence industry, and signed key agreements. Yet, critical questions remain: Have these efforts been sufficient to secure the EU’s geopolitical relevance in Europe? The war has exposed three core weaknesses in the CFSP: an outdated governance structure, operational constraints, and inadequate financial resources. This article critically examines the EU’s evolving role within the European security architecture over more than 3 years of the war in Ukraine. It argues that the CFSP is at a defining crossroads: the EU must either implement significant reforms to strengthen its geopolitical influence in an increasingly volatile world or risk being relegated to the status of a purely economic actor with a diminished global standing.