THE IDEA OF EUROPEAN UNITY: FROM WESTPHALIA TO THE CONTEMPORARY RUSSO-UKRAINIAN WAR

Abstract

The article provides a retrospective analysis of the evolution of the "United Europe" idea, spanning from the Westphalian system to the realities of the russo-Ukrainian war’s impact. The study examines the transformation of integration models: from the philosophical "perpetual peace" projects of I. Kant and J.-J. Rousseau to the pragmatic pan-Europeanism of R. Coudenhove-Kalergi and the contemporary supranational structure of the European Union. Special attention is paid to the destructive factors threatening the integrity of the union at the present stage, specifically the erosion of a shared European identity and the intensification of eurosceptic discourse. The role of the full-scale russian invasion is highlighted as a catalyst for the EU's "geopolitical awakening," which necessitated a transition from the liberal paradigm of "peace through trade" toward strategic responsibility and the militarization of the idea of unity via the European Peace Facility. The author concludes that the EU's survival as a subject of international relations depends on resolving the conflict between the need for a rapid geopolitical response and the inertia of intergovernmental mechanisms.