Ep. 64 - Why Ukraine Has Become Indispensable to the West w/Dalibor Rohac

Has Ukraine evolved from a security recipient into a security provider?

In this episode of Peace and Power Ukraine, host Gary Marx welcomes back Dalibor Rohac, Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), for a wide-ranging discussion on Ukraine’s growing strategic importance, the future of European security, Russian military failures, and the lessons the West must learn from Ukraine’s battlefield innovations.

Fresh from a visit to Ukraine and Moldova, including the Black Sea Security Conference in Odesa, Rohac shares his observations on Ukraine’s changing position in the world and why many policymakers increasingly view Ukraine as a source of military innovation rather than simply a recipient of Western assistance.

The conversation covers:

• Ukraine's growing role as a security provider rather than a security recipient
• Russia's ongoing drone and missile campaign and its strategic failures
• American public opinion and support for Ukraine
• How Ukrainian battlefield innovation is reshaping modern warfare
• Political shifts in Hungary, Armenia, and across Europe
• Russian propaganda, influence operations, and the information war
• The prospects for future peace negotiations

Rohac also discusses a recent Washington Post op-ed he co-authored with former Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov, arguing that Ukraine’s experience fighting a larger adversary has transformed modern warfare and created lessons that Western militaries can no longer afford to ignore.

Throughout the discussion, he emphasizes that Ukraine’s value extends beyond the current conflict, highlighting how the country’s rapid innovation cycle in drones, battlefield adaptation, and defense technology is already influencing security planning across Europe and North America.

The episode concludes with reflections on American public opinion, the resilience of Ukraine’s international partnerships, and why Rohac believes support for Ukraine remains stronger than many political narratives suggest.

00:00 — Why Russia’s strategy is failing
00:25 — Intro + Dalibor Rohac returns
02:22 — Recent trip to Ukraine and Moldova
04:11 — The mood in Ukraine today
05:03 — Russian strikes and Ukrainian resilience
08:25 — Ukraine brings the war back to Russia
10:45 — Russian propaganda and Western influencers
13:14 — Public opinion on Ukraine in America
16:15 — Why Ukraine is indispensable to the West
19:28 — Lessons for the U.S. military
21:29 — Hungary’s political shift and Ukraine
25:32 — Armenia’s move toward the West
27:21 — Future peace negotiations
29:58 — Final thoughts on American support for Ukraine
30:43 — Closing remarks

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