WEST UKRAINIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY

 On 6 November 2025, within the framework of the International Peace Festival, the University of Brescia (Italy) hosted the international academic seminar “Le Trasformazioni della NATO e la difesa europea” (Transformations of NATO and European Defence), organized by the University for Peace (U4P) Centre within the Department of Law. Among the speakers were leading Italian scholars in the field of international relations and security:
Professors Alessandro Polsi (University of Pisa), Matteo Frau, Arianna Carminati, Chiara Di Stasio, Paola Parolari, and Francesca Romanin Jacur (University of Brescia).

Ukraine was represented by Associate Professor Olena Motuzenko, PhD (Geography), of the Department of International Relations and Diplomacy of the West Ukrainian National University, who delivered a presentation on the topic: “The Transformation of NATO Amid the Collapse of the Global Security Order: The Role of Ukraine in Shaping a New Architecture of European Defence.”

Key Points of the Presentation

·    Ukraine today stands as a central factor in the transformation of the European security system. Through its real experience of modern warfare, Ukraine has become not merely a recipient of support but a key NATO partner in testing new technological and strategic approaches to defence.

·    The Budapest Memorandum of 1994 and subsequent security assurances have demonstrated the limitations of traditional collective security mechanisms, underscoring the need for shared responsibility among allies.

·    Moral degradation and “value relativism” in international politics have led to a crisis of trust and the erosion of institutional effectiveness. In this context, Ukraine emerges as a moral compass for the democratic world.

·    The Ukrainian experience of conducting a new generation of warfare – involving autonomous systems, artificial intelligence, cyber and quantum technologies – sets new standards of modern defence for NATO partners.

·    The new European security order must be built with Ukraine as an equal partner and co-creator of a common defence doctrine.

·    The Role of Universities in the Transformation of Europe’s Security Doctrine

During the discussion, Olena Motuzenko emphasized the crucial role of universities as analytical and research hubs that provide the intellectual foundation for renewing NATO’s and Europe’s defence strategy.

Academic institutions serve as spaces where science, strategic thinking, and moral responsibility intersect – enabling the development of innovative security models adapted to the challenges of the 21st century.

The event served as an important platform for international dialogue between Italian and Ukrainian scholars on European security, NATO’s transformation, and Ukraine’s pivotal role in shaping the new defence architecture of the continent.

The participation of the West Ukrainian National University representative contributed to strengthening academic ties with the University of Brescia and promoting further cooperation in the fields of security and diplomatic studies.

Participation of Olena Motuzenko in the event was made possible thanks to a mobility grant from House of Europe – a programme funded by the European Union that supports professional and creative exchange between Ukrainians and their colleagues in the EU countries.
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