Post-conflict recovery through market making: The European Union and the debate over Ukraine’s national resources

This article discusses the EU’s promotion of market liberalization by focusing on Ukraine’s attempts to safeguard timber trade and agricultural land sales from international markets through moratoria before 2022. The article shows how the EU intervened in domestic debates both directly and through domestic pro-market coalitions and frames the moratoria as expressions of ‘vested interests’ and instances of state weakness. These mechanisms are contrasted with policies after the invasion. Connecting this to contemporary EU debates concerning Ukraine's candidacy, the EU's internal position-finding and possible Western fatigue, the article suggests that the EU should facilitate debates around the reforms it pursues rather than de-legitimize opponents, as reconstruction in Ukraine following Russian aggression will require EU assistance and broader internal coalitions.