Polyphonic narratives of conflict: dialogic, unnatural and slipstream perspectives on European Union–Ukraine–Russia dynamics

The intricate geopolitical entanglement between the European Union (EU), Ukraine and Russia unfolds not merely as a conflict of interests but as a dynamic, multi-voiced narrative where history, power and ideology converge in an ever-evolving struggle for meaning. This study examines how dialogical narrative analysis, unnatural narrativity and slipstream narrativity illuminate the competing discourses, hidden tensions and paradoxical dynamics shaping the EU–Ukraine–Russia geopolitical conflict. The analysis reveals that the EU’s engagement with Ukraine is marked by polyphonic and often contradictory narratives, where rhetorical commitments to democracy and solidarity are undermined by strategic hesitations and internal divisions. Examining unnarrativity highlights the strategic silences and omissions in diplomatic discourse, exposing the tensions between public declarations and concealed geopolitical calculations. Additionally, slipstream narrativity frames the conflict as a destabilizing blend of reality and constructed myth, where competing narratives continuously blur the boundaries between fact and fiction in international relations. Adopting a qualitative, interdisciplinary approach, the study integrates dialogical narrative analysis, unnatural narrativity and slipstream narrativity to deconstruct the multilayered discourse surrounding the EU–Ukraine–Russia relationship. By applying these narrative frameworks to key geopolitical events, official statements and shifting alliances, the study reveals the tensions, paradoxes and competing narratives that shape contemporary international relations.