nning on the possibility and admissibility of a refusal of this aspiration, to save lives and to end the war. And although there are currently no relevant surveys on the current attitude of the people in this regard, the possible abandonment of further Euro-Atlantic integration will be widely perceived as capitulation by the Ukrainian government to the Russian aggression. Furthermore, according to its Article 157, the Ukrainian Constitution shall not be amended in conditions of martial law. The Ukrainian authorities could of course invent and implement “procedural tricks” to solve the issue, in particular: suspend temporarily martial law and amend the Constitution – but the legitimacy of such changes would remain questionable. Political compromises could save the lives of Ukrainians, and the infrastructure of their cities – yet they would run counter the aspirations of the Ukrainian people.
In the case of an induced decision to abandon the course of Euro-Atlantic integration, Ukraine will not be able to give up on demanding guarantees for its national security, and it will actively seek support from strong European actors. Germany is the most important candidate to become a guarantor of vital security interests of Ukraine under such changed conditions. This may require German authorities to rethink its security policy and reshape the normative framework significantly. Regulatory barriers to such changes should not prevent the formation of a new system of regional security in which Ukraine’s territorial integrity is guaranteed.
I would like to conclude this post with a popular Ukrainian proverb that has proven true time and again throughout history: “If people have a choice between bread and freedom, and they choose bread, they will eventually lose everything, including bread. If these people choose freedom, they will have homemade bread that no one can take away from them.” – and I want to reformulate it into a question to Europe: Will Europe continue to be tempted by cheap bread in its relations with Russia? Or will she give preference to the values of freedom and democracy, and take a proactive stance?