How Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine Changed EU Strategic Narratives on Enlargement

Four months after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the European Union made Ukraine a candidate for membership, unfreezing an enlargement process that had been stalled since 2013. This article uses 34 unique interviews with EU, member state, and Ukrainian officials to show why. Interviewees emphasize two broad causes: first, Russia’s full-scale invasion changed threat perceptions in Europe, convincing many that old strategic narratives were wrong, and second, EU and Ukrainian policy-makers activated, established and sold new narratives that justified Ukraine’s inclusion in the EU. While many international relations studies explore threat perceptions and the construction of strategic narratives, few explore critical junctures where war produces rapid change. These interviews provide a window into how an invasion can cause a sudden re-ordering of threat perceptions and create the opportunity for new strategic narratives to justify shifts in policy. New narratives created a place for Ukraine within the European “family” and reshaped EU self-perceptions of support for “democracy” and peaceful co-existence, while justifying harsh sanctions on Russia, aid to Ukraine, and enlargement.