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Received: 2025-09-14 | Accepted: 2026-01-12 | Published: 2026-03-30

Title

Insights into transformation of European security policy in the light of the war in Ukraine and escalating geopolitical changes

Abstract

This article analyses the transformation of European security policy resulting from Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the deteriorating global security environment, and ongoing geopolitical shifts. The author aims to identify the principal strategic, institutional, and geopolitical challenges faced by the European Union in pursuing its security policy, and to assess its capacity to respond as a respected, autonomous actor in a multipolar world. The research employs a qualitative, theoretical, interdisciplinary approach, based on content analysis of political and security documents, critical analysis of secondary sources, and scholarly literature. The author highlights the fact that the war in Ukraine has significantly accelerated the EU's geopolitical maturation process; however, its practical capacity for action is limited by internal fragmentation, the unanimity-based decision-making mechanism, and a persistent dependence on transatlantic ties. Simultaneously, the study points to the tension between the EU's normative ambitions and its actual ability to project security from both a regional and a global perspective. This study contributes to the academic discussion on the redefinition of the European security order and the EU's position in an era of worsening regional and global security environments and escalating geopolitical change.

Keywords

European Union, security policy, security order, institutional challenges, war in Ukraine, multipolarity, rivalry, fragmentation, geopolitical transformation

JEL classifications

F50 , F52 , H56 , P16

URI

http://jssidoi.org/ird/article/235

DOI

DOI 10.70132/c8725828569

Pages

10-25

Funding

This is an open access issue and all published articles are licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License

Authors

Ivančík, Radoslav

Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra, Nitra, Slovakia https://www.ukf.sk

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Dušek, Jiří

College of European and Regional Studies, České Budějovice, Czech Republic https://vsers.cz

Articles by this author in: CrossRef | Google Scholar

Journal title

Insights into Regional Development

Volume

Number

Issue date

March 2026

Issue DOI

DOI 10.70132/c4967459363

ISSN

ISSN 2345-0282 (online)

Publisher

VšĮ Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Center, Vilnius, Lithuania

Cited

Article views & downloads

HTML views: 604 | PDF downloads: 431

References

Adriaensen, J., Vanhoonacker, S., & Sarkissian, I. (2025). The effect of geopoliticisation on the EU’s polity: exploring institutional power shifts. Journal of European Public Policy, 1-25. https://doi.org/10.1080/13501763.2025.2536546