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15 June 2024

Defence diplomacy in the war in Ukraine – cooperation and challenges

Lech Drab and Marzena Żakowska

Introduction

The ongoing war in Ukraine presents a large-scale cooperation between the Ukrainian government and Western countries, aimed at defending against Russian aggression. This cooperation directly illustrates that security is no longer solely a state or regional issue but has become a global problem. Within the framework of this cooperation, various diplomatic domains come into play, with defense diplomacy emerging as a prominent facet. Defense diplomacy, in this context, can be defined as the strategic and non-confrontational use of defense capabilities to foster constructive relationships and achieve positive outcomes in bilateral and multilateral interactions with specific countries. Crucially, defense diplomacy distinguishes itself from military operations. Instead, it operates through a diverse set of cooperative measures. These include the exchange of personnel, the deployment of ships and aircraft, high-level visits by senior military officials, bilateral meetings and dialogues, joint training exercises, active participation in regional defense forums, provision of military assistance, implementation of confidence-building measures, and engagement in non-proliferation efforts. (Dodd and Oakes 1998, p. 22; Ministry of Defence, London 2011, p. 7).


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