FROM NORMATIVE POWER TO GEOPOLITICAL ACTOR? THE EU’S STRATEGIC TRANSFORMATION AFTER RUSSIA’S INVASION OF UKRAINE

Abstract

The fragmentation of the international order and the return of large-scale war in Europe have intensified debate over whether the European Union can remain primarily a normative power. This article examines how systemic pressure has reshaped EU external action since 2016, using qualitative policy analysis and the Union’s response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as a critical case. It argues that the EU is not replacing normative power with classical geopolitical power. Rather, it is developing a hybrid model in which normative objectives are increasingly defended through coercive economic instruments, security and defence tools, and policies aimed at reducing strategic dependencies. The Ukraine case shows a marked expansion in sanctions, military-support mechanisms, and energy-security measures. The article concludes that the EU’s future international influence will depend on whether it can integrate these instruments coherently without eroding the normative foundations of its external legitimacy.